Why does food get cold when left out, but drinks get hot?

Answer 1

To explain in really basically, heat is 'thermal motion' - it is the molecules and the atoms of the object moving about, quivering, vibrating; it can be described and defined as the transfer of energy from one molecule/particle/whatever to the other. In your hot soup the molecules are buzzing about really fast, knocking off each other. In the cool air in the room the molecules are buzzing about but not as fast. The molecules of the soup are touching molecules in the air, in the bowl and as the fast molecules hit the slow molecules they slow down and speed the slow one up (think bashing into a dodgem in front - it is pushed forwards and you slow). The cold air next to the bowl gets hotter because its molecules are moving faster. This is a simple explaination of conduction. Newton said the rate of conduction is proportional to the difference in temperature between the bodies (think how quick something cools in the freezer in comparison with the normal air). Back to the soup, so the molecules at the top of the soup have slowed down because they've bashed into to the slow air molecules. The ones next to them do the same to them and then they slow down. The soup cools. Plus convection will occur in soup as it is a fluid - that's when the hot stuff rises and the colder stuff falls (ever noticed the draft above a radiator?) speeding up the whole process.
Where a drink is colder than the air, the hotter air molecules bash into the slower drink molecules and speed them up - heating them up. The air around gets cold, and so does the glass, and your hand.

Hope this helps, for a more detailed explanation I'm sure there will be more scientifically minded sites.

Answer 2

OMG! Can't you figure this out? Food doesn't get cold when left out and drinks don't get hot, they all become room temperature! It's all relative! Think about it!

Answer 3

OMG
lets think drinks r usually cold when u drink them (except hot drinks) and food is usually served hot.
yes
so when u leave it out it becomes...........








.......ROOM TEMPERATURE

Answer 4

Food is warm first
Pop is cold first they both need to change to the rooms temp.

Answer 5

all pills stay room temperature unless refrigerated like anti-depressants. And how is that this question is in mental health unless I know the computer is so smart & saw such a stupid question it went ahead and put it there!! LMFAO

Answer 6

I was wondering about this question -until I saw that it is in the Mental Health section. -Now it's all clear. You're going to be oooooookkkkkkkkkay.