Answer to Question #4050 in Molecular Physics | Thermodynamics for ahmad

Question

A person claims that the glass of cold water warmed up to 60°C by gaining the energy from surrounding which is at 25°C. Can this happen?

Answer 1

It's impossible because it violates the second law of thermodynamics which in Clausius formulation states that
No process is possible whose sole result is the transfer of heat from a body of lower temperature to a body of
higher temperature


Spontaneously, heat cannot flow from cold regions to hot regions without external work being performed on the system, which is evident from ordinary experience of refrigeration, for example. In a refrigerator, heat flows from cold to hot, but only when forced by an external agent, a compressor.


So glass only can gain 25C and after that it can't gain energy from surrounding any more.