When boiling water does the vessel in which it is being boiled matter?

Question

Would an upside down conical shaped vessel heat faster than a cylindrical one?

Taking into consideration that heat rises and that the water is being heat from the bottom of the vessel.

What do you think? Also, please state your reasons and source if possible.

All being the same, including volume of water and surface area of vessel and of course the size of heating element. Also assuming that heat loss is the same.

I'm pretty convinced that the conical shape would allow a quicker boil due to a more intensive heat lower down and the rising of the hotter water.

Answer 1

The vessel matters for many reasons such as...

#1: The heat conductivity of the vessel.. is it made of iron? copper? aluminum? they have different levels of heat conductivity. the thinkness also would matter if we are talking about the speed.. how fast would it boil..

#2: Surface area that is being heated. In the "upside down" cylindrical cone.. the surface are being heated would probably be small.. compared when the wider base is the one being heated. more surface area being heated, the more heat is being conducted in the metal and to the water.

#3. How intense is the heat source. ..

and

#4 Volume of water.

This is just a personal answer...

Good luck!

^_^

Answer 2

Well based on what you are telling me, if something is heated from the bottom, it seems like a cylindrical shaped object would have a far larger surface area to come into contact with the heat. Therefore the water would heat faster.

In an upside down cone, only a very narrow point would be gainst the heat source, so it would seem, logically that water would heat much less slowly.

Answer 3

Fairly complicated question - how much heat is lost to convection and radiation from teh sides of the vessle versus how much area of the vessel is being heated. For a given volume of water, an vessel whose bottom is the same area as the source of heat gives th best coupling of the available heat energy to the water.

BTW, it also doesn't matter too much wha the vessel is made from. I've boiled water in a paper cup over a camp fire - try it.

Answer 4

Only if you were applying heat to all of the sides. The amount of heat transferred between the heating element and the water depends on how conductive of heat the vessel is (ie. metal, wood, ceramic, ect.), as different materials have different conductivity levels, and the amount of surface area the heat is being applied to. If you heat all of the walls of the vessel you mentioned, the time it would take to boil would be significantly less that if you only heated half of the walls.

So yes, the material the vessel is made of will affect the speed of the transfer of heat.

Answer 5

You can boil h2o in a paper sack .
Have seen it done .The wet paper cannot catch on fire .
Now I wouldn't suggest you cook soup for supper this way but it is a thought .
Just think " Soup N a Sack" in your vending machines .

Answer 6

as long as the vessel is not glass. lol source: been their done that!

Answer 7

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