The smell of hot sizzling food reaches you several metres away, but to get the smell from cold food, we have to go close. Why?

By BYJU'S Exam Prep

Updated on: September 25th, 2023

The smell of hot sizzling food reaches you several metres away, but to get the smell from cold food, we have to go close because the particles of the hot sizzling food moves faster than the particles of cold food. Due to their higher kinetic energy than cold food particles, hot food particles can move several meters through the air and diffuse quickly. Due to the fact that higher temperatures have a faster rate of diffusion than lower temperatures, hot food particles diffuse quickly.

Table of content

1. Smell of Hot Food Reaches Several Metres Away Quickly Than Cold Food
2. The smell of hot sizzling food reaches you several metres away, but to get the smell from cold food, we have to go close. Why?

Smell of Hot Food Reaches Several Metres Away Quickly Than Cold Food

The reason for the smell of hot sizzling food reaching several metres away but not the smell of cold food is that with an increase in the temperature the kinetic energy of the particles also increases. According to the collision theory, diffusion will happen more quickly in a warmer environment.

Since temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of molecules within an object and speed of a molecule is related to the square root of absolute temperature, molecules will travel faster as the temperature rises. When this occurs, the rate of diffusion likewise rises; if the temperature falls, the converse will take place.

The diffusion increases along with the molecules’ Brownian motion as the temperature rises.
Hot, sizzling food particles have a high kinetic energy, diffuse quickly in the air, and can travel a distance of several meters.
Cold food particles have less kinetic energy and can’t travel more than a few meters. Matter particles have kinetic energy and are always in motion.