The state of matter a substance is in is determined by its __.
A) electrical conductivity
B) density
C) temperature
D) solubility
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is C) temperature.
Explanation:
The state of matter that a substance is in—solid, liquid, or gas—is primarily determined by its temperature. Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a substance. When a substance is heated, its particles gain energy and move faster. Conversely, when the temperature is lowered, the particles lose energy and move slower. These changes in particle movement play a key role in determining the state of matter.
At low temperatures, the kinetic energy of the particles is minimal, which means the particles are relatively close together and move only slightly. This typically results in a solid state. Solids have fixed shapes and volumes because the particles are tightly packed in a regular pattern.
At intermediate temperatures, the particles gain enough kinetic energy to move past each other, but they still remain close enough to maintain some attractive forces between them. This leads to the liquid state, where the substance has a defined volume but can change shape depending on the container it is in.
At high temperatures, the particles have enough energy to overcome intermolecular forces entirely, allowing the substance to transition into the gas state. In gases, particles are far apart and move freely, filling the entire volume of their container. The gas has neither a fixed shape nor volume.
Other factors, such as pressure, also influence the state of matter, but temperature is the most direct factor. For example, a substance like water can exist as ice (solid), liquid water, or steam (gas) depending on the temperature. Electrical conductivity (A), density (B), and solubility (D) may provide additional information about a substance’s properties, but they do not directly determine its state of matter.