Question

Imagine a closed physical system - an insulated cooler. Inside are two cubes of ice. Instruments indicate that ice block A is 0.5 kg and ice block B is 0.25 kg. Ice block A has a temperature of 2°C and ice block B has a temperature of 0°C. The two ice blocks are pressed against each other.



Which describes the relationship of the average kinetic energy of the particles in the ice blocks?

Answer 1

a. Because average kinetic energy is based on particle type, and both ice blocks contain the same type of particles in the same state of matter, the KE of both is exactly the same.
b. Because average kinetic energy is based on the freedom of particles to move, and both ice blocks are confined by the cooler, the motion of their particles is equally confined and KE is the same for both.
c. Because temperature is the average kinetic energy of particles in any object, the particles in ice block A have greater KE than those of ice block B.

Answer 2

c