Background: In the study of thermochemical processes, things are viewed from the point of view of the system. A chemical reaction or physical change is endothermic if heat is absorbed by the system from the surroundings. In the course of an endothermic process, the system gains heat from the surroundings and so the temperature of the surroundings decreases. The quantity of heat for a process is represented by the letter . The sign of for an endothermic process is positive because the system is gaining heat. A chemical reaction or physical change is exothermic if heat is released by the system into the surroundings. Because the surroundings is gaining heat from the system, the temperature of the surroundings increases. The sign of for an exothermic process is negative because the system is losing heat.

Situation: Calving is sitting in his kitchen when he decides to play around with some ice and water. He takes an ice cube out of the freezer and puts it on a plate on his kitchen table. He then takes a glass of water and puts it into the freezer. He is curious to see if the ice cube will melt before the water freezes.

Question: Is the ice cube melting an exothermic or endothermic reaction?
Answer: endothermic

Situation: Calving is sitting in his kitchen when he decides to play around with some ice and water. He takes an ice cube out of the freezer and puts it on a plate on his kitchen table. He then takes a glass of water and puts it into the freezer. He is curious to see if the ice cube will melt before the water freezes.

Question: Is the water freezing an exothermic or endothermic reaction?
Answer: exothermic

Situation: Calving is sitting in his kitchen when he decides to play around with some ice and water. He takes an ice cube out of the freezer and puts it on a plate on his kitchen table. He then takes a glass of water and puts it into the freezer. He is curious to see if the ice cube will melt before the water freezes.

Question: Is the sign for the reaction of the ice cube melting positive or negative?
Answer: positive

Situation: Calving is sitting in his kitchen when he decides to play around with some ice and water. He takes an ice cube out of the freezer and puts it on a plate on his kitchen table. He then takes a glass of water and puts it into the freezer. He is curious to see if the ice cube will melt before the water freezes.

Question: Is the sign for the reaction of the water freezing positive or negative?
Answer: negative

Situation: Calving is sitting in his kitchen when he decides to play around with some ice and water. He takes an ice cube out of the freezer and puts it on a plate on his kitchen table. He then takes a glass of water and puts it into the freezer. He is curious to see if the ice cube will melt before the water freezes.

Question: Is the temperature of the water's surroundings increasing or decreasing?
Answer: increasing

Situation: Calving is sitting in his kitchen when he decides to play around with some ice and water. He takes an ice cube out of the freezer and puts it on a plate on his kitchen table. He then takes a glass of water and puts it into the freezer. He is curious to see if the ice cube will melt before the water freezes.

Question: Is the temperature of the ice cube's surroundings increasing or decreasing?
Answer: decreasing