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Substances & Their Characteristics

Density can be used to identify a substance. It could be used to determine if a sample of gold-colored metal is, in fact, gold. Archimedes used the concept of density to identify substances (Day, 2004). Density is a physical property of a substance which describes the degree of compactness of the substance, i.e. how close together the atoms are packed. The density of a substance is the ratio of an objectÆs mass to its volume: density = mass/volume, and is measured in grams per cubic centimeter, or grams per milliliter. The density of a substance changes with temperature, i.e. as substances are heated, they expand and their density decreases. This explains how hot air balloons work: as the air within the balloon is heated, it expands, and becomes less dense than the air outside the balloon, causing the balloon to rise.

Qu. 2. Matter exists in three different forms: as a solid, a liquid, or a gas. In the solid state, the molecules of the matter are packed closely together, and the forces of attraction between the molecules overcome the forces of translational motion, so they do not move around (States, 2003). However, the do exhibit vibrational motion in the solid state. In the liquid state, the molecules are still closely packed, but not as closely packed as in the solid state, so they can move around. They do not have enough energy to leave the liquid state and become a gas under normal circumstances, except for a few fast-moving molecules which escape the liquid state by a process known as evaporation. In the gaseous state, the molecules are not bound together closely, and they can move randomly and independently. There are no significant forces to hold the molecules to each other, and there is a comparatively large space between them.

For a material to change from a solid state to a liquid state, the rigid structure of the solid has to be overcome to allow the molecules more freedom of movement, and for this ...

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Substances & Their Characteristics. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 08:02, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1701857.html