Do the following represent an equilibrium situation:
1) A glass of iced tea still has sugar at the bottom after several minutes of stirring.
2) The student population at a high school remains constant for 5 years.
1. Could be yes, could be no. It depends upon --- can more sugar dissolve? If yes, then it isn't at equilibrium.
2. I think the intent is for this to be yes but I would answer no. Presumably some students are graduating while new students take their place so the number stays constant. To be strictly at equilibrium means that some students who have graduated could come back while other students drop out. But students who have graduated will not come back.
To determine if the given situations represent an equilibrium situation, let's understand what equilibrium means in different contexts.
1) A glass of iced tea still has sugar at the bottom after several minutes of stirring:
In the case of the iced tea, equilibrium refers to the point at which the sugar concentration in the tea reaches a state where no more sugar dissolves. If sugar is still present at the bottom of the glass, even after several minutes of stirring, it indicates that the system has not reached equilibrium. To determine if it will eventually reach equilibrium, you can continue stirring and observe if the sugar completely dissolves or if it remains at the bottom. If the sugar eventually dissolves completely, it would indicate that equilibrium has been reached.
2) The student population at a high school remains constant for 5 years:
In this situation, "equilibrium" means that the number of students entering the high school equals the number of students leaving the school, resulting in a constant student population. To determine if this situation represents equilibrium, you would need to consider factors such as the number of students graduating, transferring, or enrolling at the high school. If all of these factors balance out, resulting in a constant student population for 5 years, it would indicate an equilibrium situation.
In conclusion:
- For the iced tea situation, observe if the sugar continues to dissolve with further stirring to determine if equilibrium will be reached.
- For the student population situation, analyze the number of students entering and leaving the high school over the course of 5 years to determine if equilibrium has been achieved.