[Physics] Heat transfer and temperature difference of 2 liquids

thermodynamics

We know that heat transfer is calculated by equation $Q$=$m$×$C_p$×$\Delta$$T$.

Let's perform 2 experiments-

Imagine I have 2 cups with water with same masses(volume). 1 is at 100 degree C and other at .5 degree C. If we pour these 2 cups of water in another bigger cup.how fast it's temperature reaches equilibrium.
Same test I will perform with temperature of second cup at 30 degrees.
Equation says heat transfer will be higher if temperature difference is high. That means 1st experiment will reach equilibrium faster than second.
Is it right? I am completely confused. It really takes less time to cool a cup of tea at 70 degree C than 100 degree C.

Best Answer

The equation you give:

$$ Q = m C_p \Delta T $$

just tells us the total amount of heat transferred, and does not tell us anything about the rate at which the heat transfer occurs. To calculate heat flow we have to solve the heat equation. If you do a physics degree this apparently innocent equation will cause you many hours of frustrated head scratching, so in practice we tend to use simple approximations. In everyday life heat flow tends to be well described by Newton's equation:

$$ \frac{dQ}{dt} \propto \Delta T $$

so, as you suggest, the greater the temperature difference the faster the heat flow.

The experiment you describe isn't really a good way of showing this, because if you mix hot and cold liquid in practice the rate of temperature change will be controlled by how fast you do the mixing. Newton's equation would be more useful if you place the two liquids in contact but don't allow them to mix e.g. have a metal (or some other high thermal conductivity) divider between them. In that case you're quite correct that the initial heat flow will be faster at 100°C than at 70°C. However the 100°C system will take longer to cool because the amoutn of heat, $Q \propto \Delta T$, that needs to be transferred is greater with a 100°C difference. The temperature difference as a function of time will look like:

$$ \Delta T(t) = \Delta T_0 e^{-\alpha t} $$

where $\Delta T_0$ is the initial temperature and $\alpha$ is a constant related to the thermal conductivity (large $\alpha$ means high thermal conductivity). If I use this equation to graph the cooling for 70°C and 100°C initial temperatures (choosing a random value of $\alpha$) I get:

Temperature graph

So even though the 100°C difference initially cools faster the 70°C difference always reaches any specified temperature difference before the 100°C does.