They insisted that cold water would boil faster. I tried to explain that they have to add a certain amount of energy to make it boil. With cold water, they would need to had more energy, so it would take longer. They wouldn't believe me because they had learned that cold water will boil faster in science class.
A year later, my son was taking science from that teacher. There does exist a circumstance where cold water will boil faster. It involves adding energy to the cold and hot water in just the right amount. More of the cold water evaporates. The difference in volumes causes the cold water to boil sooner.
The teacher created an experiment the students remembered. However, they didn't learn what he intended. He wanted them to understand that was a way to get cold water to boil faster. What the students heard was that cold water boils faster.
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