Eli5: Why can a thermal flask keep items cold for 24 hours, but only hot for 12 hours.

Question

Eli5: Why can a thermal flask keep items cold for 24 hours, but only hot for 12 hours.

In: Physics

Answer 1

Hot is farther from room temperature than cold is. Typical cold beverage might be 35 which is 35 degrees below a room temp of 70. By contrast, a typical hot coffee might be 180, which is 110 degrees above room temp.

The bigger the difference in temp between inside and outside the thermos, the faster the temp will drop or rise.