Which of the following is an example of a mixture?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:1
An example of a mixture is salad.
A mixture is a combination of two or more substances in which each substance retains its own properties and can usually be separated by physical means. In the case of a salad, different ingredients such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots are combined, but each ingredient retains its individual characteristics. The components of a salad do not undergo a chemical reaction to form a new substance; they simply remain mixed together.
The key feature of a mixture is that the substances within it are not chemically bonded. For example, if you were to separate a salad, you could easily pick out the lettuce from the tomatoes or the carrots. This is a characteristic of heterogeneous mixtures, where the individual components can be distinguished.
In contrast, a compound is a substance formed by the chemical combination of two or more elements, and it has different properties from those of the individual elements. An example of a compound would be water (H₂O), where hydrogen and oxygen are chemically bonded, and the resulting substance is different from its constituent elements.
A mixture can be classified as either homogeneous or heterogeneous. A homogeneous mixture, like a solution, has a uniform composition throughout, meaning the individual substances are evenly distributed, such as in salt dissolved in water. On the other hand, a heterogeneous mixture, like a salad, has visibly distinct components.
Therefore, the salad is a good example of a mixture because its components, such as lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers, can be seen and separated easily without undergoing any chemical change.
