The gallium in the image is melting in the person's hand. Which changes will occur on a microscopic level?
The gallium atoms will gain kinetic energy
The gallium atoms will increase in temperature.
The gallium atoms will gain potential energy, moving freely from each other.
The gallium atoms will gain kinetic energy, as they start experiencing motion and vibrational movements due to the increase in temperature. This increase in kinetic energy is a result of the heat energy being transferred to the gallium atoms from the person's hand.
The gallium atoms will also increase in temperature. Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a substance. As the gallium atoms gain kinetic energy, their average kinetic energy and consequently their temperature will increase.
Additionally, as the gallium melts and transitions from a solid to a liquid state, the gallium atoms will gain potential energy. In the solid state, the atoms are arranged in a regular pattern with relatively fixed positions. However, as the gallium melts, the atoms become less restricted and gain potential energy, allowing them to move more freely from each other in a liquid state.