Question

The smell of hot sizzling food reaches us several meters away. However, it is not so in case the food is cold. Explain.

Answer 1

• When food is sizzling hot, it releases the vapors of its contents.
• Since the kinetic energy of the particles is very high in the vapor state, these particles readily mix up with the particles of air.
• They can reach us even at a distance of several meters.
• However, when the food is cold, the vapors released will be comparatively less. Moreover, their kinetic energy is also very small. Under these conditions, one has to come quite close in order to smell the contents of the food.
• Kinetic energy is related with the temperature and the movement of the particles.