Why is ice at 273 K more effective in cooling than water at the same temperature?
Answer
Ice at 273K (or 0° C) is solid while water at 273K (or 0° C) is a liquid.
When both the substances, at 273K, are used for cooling, ice is more effective than water.
This is because ice is a solid when it absorbs heat, it is used for two things
- For changing its state from solid to water
- To increase its temperature from 0°C / 273K
Whereas on the other hand, water is a liquid, when it absorbs heat it is used
- To increase its temperature from 0°C / 273K
From the above two cases, we can conclude that ice at 0°C / 273K consumes more heat than water at 0°C / 273K.
Hence, ice at 273 K is more effective in cooling than water at the same temperature.