A mixture of sugar and water can be separated by ______________. Choose ALL that apply. (2 points)
Box 1. using a magnet
Box 2. boiling the mixture
Box 3. evaporating the mixture
Box 4. using a filter
I picked "Box 2" and "Box 3"
One of your answers is correct.
Congratulations! You have correctly chosen two out of the four possible methods to separate a mixture of sugar and water. Let me now explain how these methods work.
1. Boiling the mixture: When you heat the mixture, the water will start to evaporate and turn into steam due to the increased temperature. However, sugar does not evaporate, so it will remain behind in the container. Once all the water has evaporated, you will be left with the sugar, which can be easily separated from the container.
2. Evaporating the mixture: This method is similar to boiling, but without applying direct heat. Instead, you can let the mixture sit for some time in an open container, allowing the water to slowly evaporate at room temperature. Again, the sugar will remain behind, and you can separate it from the container once the water has completely evaporated.
On the other hand, here are the methods that are not suitable for separating a sugar-water mixture:
3. Using a magnet: This method is ineffective for separating sugar and water because sugar is not magnetic. Magnets only attract certain metals like iron, nickel, and cobalt, so using a magnet won't help in separating sugar from water.
4. Using a filter: Filtering is commonly used to separate solid particles from liquids or gases. However, since sugar dissolves completely in water, it forms a homogeneous mixture without any solid particles. As a result, using a filter is not a suitable method for separating sugar from water.
In summary, you've made the correct choices by selecting "Box 2" (boiling the mixture) and "Box 3" (evaporating the mixture) as the methods to separate a mixture of sugar and water. Well done!