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Freezing Water Race - Answer = C

The hot water can freeze faster than the cold, really due to two effects. First, the hot water does actually lose heat faster initially since the temperature difference between the hot water and air is greater than that between the cold water and the air. However the second effect, evaporation is the critical feature. More evaporation will occur from the hotter water container, reducing the amount of water in the container. With less water to cool, the hotter water can actually freeze before the cold water. (Some information from The Flying Circus of Physics by Jearl Walker.)

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