From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!ihnp4!ihuxr!lew
Newsgroups: net.physics
Title: tea (sic) experiment
Article-I.D.: ihuxr.276
Posted: Thu Jan  6 09:46:49 1983
Received: Fri Jan  7 01:55:15 1983

The question was posed:

Should one add cream to tea before or after a few minutes wait to
obtain the greatest final temperature?

It was subsequently noted by several that the best way to ascertain
the answer would be to try it, so I did - except that I used water
and milk instead of tea and cream.

I poured two shot glasses of milk and let them sit out. I then
poured equal amounts of boiling water into two room temperature
mugs. I then added a shot glass of milk to one of them, waited five
minutes and added a shot glass of milk to the other. I then measured
the temperature of each (I preheated the thermometer with a third mug.)

The results:

Temperature of milk added first mug = 69.5c
Temperature of milk added last mug  = 67c

So the conventional wisdom is correct.

	Lew Mammel, Jr. ihuxr!lew