States of Matter

Gerry is looking at salt under a powerful microscope and notices a crystalline structure. What can be known about the salt sample that Gerry is looking at?

The atoms are vibrating in place.

Three grams of the same substance in different phases are stored in three different containers. Each container is barely large enough to hold the substance. Which statement can be known about the behavior of the atoms in each container?

The atoms in the solid would be vibrating in position.

Density involves the amount of a material in a certain volume. When a material changes phases, it changes in density in a predictable way as the amount of material stays the same but the molecules get farther apart or closer together. Water has solid and liquid states that do not follow these predictions of density in the phases of matter. What does that mean about the densities of the phases of water?

The liquid state is more dense than the solid state.

Sari is studying four different samples of materials. This table shows the mass and volume of the samples. Which sample material(s) could be liquid?

X

Michael has a substance that he puts in Container 1. The substance has a volume of 5 cubic meters. He then puts the substance in Container 2, and it now has a volume of 10 cubic meters. In which phase(s) is the substance?

gas

Density describes how much mass is contained in a certain volume. Knowing how far apart molecules are in each state, which best ranks solids, liquids, and gasses from least dense to most dense?

gas < liquid < solid

In which phase(s) of matter are the atoms closely packed but still able to slide past each other?

liquid

Mercury's natural state is where the atoms are close to each other but are still free to pass by each other. In which state(s) could mercury naturally exist?

liquid

Atoms in a stay in a fixed position and have no freedom to move.

solid

Gold's natural state has a definite shape and a definite volume. What is gold's natural state(s)?

solid