Simone has a mug of hot tea at a temperature of \( 90^{\circ} \mathrm{C} \). She sets the mug on a counter in a room with an air temperature of \( 30^{\circ} \mathrm{C} \). What is most likely to happen to the temperature of the hot tea? ( 1 point) The air will transfer thermal energy into the tea, and the energy transfer will continue until the tea is at room temperature. The air will transfer thermal energy into the tea and will continue to transfer energy until they are both \( 90^{\circ} \mathrm{C} \). The hot tea will transfer thermal energy into the air, and the energy transfer will continue until the tea is at room temperature. The hot tea will transfer thermal energy into the air and will continue to transfer energy until they are both \( 90^{\circ} \mathrm{C} \).
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The Deep Dive
The hot tea will transfer thermal energy into the air, and the energy transfer will continue until the tea is at room temperature. This process is governed by the second law of thermodynamics, which states that heat transfers from a hotter object to a cooler one until thermal equilibrium is reached. As the tea cools down, it will gradually lose heat to the surrounding air until both reach the same temperature, in this case, ultimately around \( 30^{\circ} \mathrm{C} \). So, the thermal energy flows from the hot tea to the cooler air until they balance out, rather than the air warming the tea up.