Question

two identical refrigerators in a restaurant kitchen lost power. the door of one fridge was slightly open, and the door of the other fridge was closed. this table shows how the temperature of each refrigerator changed over 10 minutes. refrigerator initial temperature (°c) final temperature (°c) refrigerator with its door open 3.8 12.3 refrigerator with its door closed 3.8 5.5 during this time, thermal energy was transferred from ________ to ________ each refrigerator... the surroundings the surroundings... each refrigerator

Explanation:

Step1: Understand heat - transfer principle

Heat transfers from a region of higher temperature to a region of lower temperature.

Step2: Analyze initial and final temperatures

The initial temperature of both fridges is 3.8°C. The final temperatures of the fridge with the door open and closed are 12.3°C and 5.5°C respectively, which are higher than the initial temperature. This means the fridges' temperatures increased.

Step3: Determine heat - transfer direction

Since the fridges' temperatures increased, thermal energy was transferred from the surroundings (higher - temperature region) to each refrigerator (lower - temperature region).

Answer:

the surroundings... each refrigerator