Question

emily needed room - temperature butter for a cookie recipe. she took two sticks of butter out of the refrigerator and put them on the counter. each stick had the same amount of butter, but one stick was long and thin, and one stick was short and wide. this table shows how the temperature of each stick of butter changed over 30 minutes.
stick of butter initial temperature (°c) final temperature (°c)
long stick of butter 3 8
short stick of butter 4 8
the next time emily needs butter for a cookie recipe, she wants it to warm up to room temperature quickly. what should she do to maximize the rate of thermal energy transfer into the stick of butter?
use a long and thin stick of butter
use a short and wide stick of butter
either; the rate of thermal energy transfer is the same whether or not the butter is long or short

Explanation:

Step1: Recall heat - transfer principle

The rate of thermal energy transfer is related to surface - area to volume ratio. A higher surface - area to volume ratio leads to faster heat transfer.

Step2: Analyze shapes

A long and thin stick of butter has a larger surface - area to volume ratio compared to a short and wide stick of butter. This is because more of the butter is exposed to the surrounding air in the long and thin stick, allowing for more efficient heat transfer.

Answer:

use a long and thin stick of butter