Alec adds some soil and plants to a large glass jar.
He waters the plants and then adds worms, and snails to the jar. Then places the lid tightly on the jar and sets it on a kitchen windowsill.
The Law of conservation of mass states that for any system closed to all transfers of matter and energy, the mass of the system must remain constant over time, as the system's mass cannot change, so quantity can neither be added nor be removed. Therefore, the quantity of mass is conserved over time.
Based on the statements below, which one is correct.
(1 point)
The mass will decrease when the animals die.
The mass will increase as the plants grow and decrease when the animals eat the plants.
The mass will neither increase nor decrease.
The mass will increase as the earthworm digests the soil.
The mass will neither increase nor decrease.
The mass will neither increase nor decrease, but the plants and animals will have a "blooming" good time in the glass jar! 🌱🐛🐌
The correct statement based on the given information is: "The mass will neither increase nor decrease."
The correct statement is: The mass will neither increase nor decrease.
Explanation:
According to the Law of Conservation of Mass, the mass of a closed system remains constant over time, meaning that no mass can be added or removed. In this scenario, Alec has created a closed system by placing a lid tightly on the glass jar. As a result, the mass of the system, which includes the soil, plants, worms, and snails, will remain constant.
While it is true that certain processes may occur within the closed system, such as the animals dying or eating the plants, or the earthworm digesting the soil, these processes do not involve any mass being added or removed from the system. Instead, the particles within the system are rearranged or transformed, but the total mass stays the same.
Therefore, regardless of the various activities happening within the glass jar, the mass of the system will not increase or decrease.