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Chapter 5: Problem 100

An aluminum can of a soft drink is placed in a freezer. Later, you find that the can is split open and its contents have frozen. Work was done on the can in splitting it open. Where did the energy for this work come from?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The energy for the work done on the aluminum can in splitting it open comes from the latent heat released during the phase change of the soft drink from liquid to solid. As the soft drink freezes and expands, it loses energy to the freezer environment, which is then converted into mechanical work that causes pressure on the can's walls and splits it open.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the freezing process

When the can of soft drink is placed in the freezer, the temperature of the liquid inside decreases. As the liquid cools, it reaches its freezing point, at which it transforms from liquid to solid. This phase change is accompanied by expansion, as the molecules of the substance rearrange themselves into a more rigid structure. This expansion puts pressure on the walls of the can, eventually causing it to split open. The work done in splitting open the can comes from the energy involved in the phase change of the liquid.
02

Phase change and energy transfer

During a phase change, energy transfer occurs between the system (here, the contents of the can) and the surroundings (the freezer). For the liquid to freeze, it must lose energy, specifically as latent heat. Latent heat is the energy required to change the phase of a substance without a change in temperature. As the liquid loses energy to the freezer environment, this energy is removed from the system, allowing it to freeze and expand.
03

Energy conversion in the system

As the soft drink freezes and expands, the stored energy within the can transforms into a different form. The latent heat energy, which was previously tied up in the soft drink's liquid state, is now released and converted into the mechanical work required to cause pressure on the can's walls and split it open. This energy conversion, from latent heat to mechanical work, represents the transfer of energy required to do work on the aluminum can.
04

Identify the energy source

In conclusion, the energy for the work done on the can in splitting it open comes from the latent heat released during the phase change of the soft drink from liquid to solid. The liquid loses energy to its surroundings, allowing it to freeze and expand, and this energy is then converted into mechanical work that causes pressure on the can's walls, ultimately leading to the can splitting open.

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