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Give reasons for the following observation:The smell of ho... - Science
Question
Give reasons for the following observation:
The smell of hot sizzling food reaches you several metres away, but to get the smell from cold food you have to go close.
Answer
This happens because the rate of diffusion increases with temperature.
Particles of hot food possess high kinetic energy and move very fast.
Consequently, they diffuse (mix with the air) rapidly and reach you several metres away.
Particles of cold food have low kinetic energy and diffuse very slowly, so you have to go close to smell them.