Science Assessment

A person pours a hot drink into a cup and then places a room temperature spoon in the cup. After a while, the person notices that the handle of the spoon has gotten hotter. What caused the handle to get hotter?

1. Heat molecules from the hot drink are absorbed by the spoon. These heat molecules travel to the handle of the spoon, making the handle hotter.
2. The molecules that make up the hot drink are rubbing against each other harder than the molecules that make up the spoon. The rubbing creates new energy that flows through the spoon to the handle, making the handle hotter.
3. The hot drink causes the molecules of the spoon to speed up. These faster moving molecules then move to the handle of the spoon, causing the handle to get hotter.
4. The hot drink causes the molecules of the spoon to speed up. When these faster moving molecules collide with slower moving molecules, energy is transferred to the slower moving molecules. These collisions continue to occur throughout the spoon until they reach the handle, making the handle hotter.