Which can occur in a physical change?
The mass can increase.
The particles can arrange in different ways.
The mass can decrease.
The atoms can bond to different atoms.
The particles can arrange in different ways.
In a physical change, the following can occur:
1. The particles can arrange in different ways: During a physical change, the arrangement or position of the particles involved can change. For example, when a solid melts into a liquid, the particles rearrange themselves to form a new arrangement.
2. The atoms can bond to different atoms: Physical changes typically do not involve a change in chemical composition, so the atoms typically do not bond with different atoms. Instead, existing bonds between atoms may be temporarily broken or rearranged in a physical change.
However, the following cannot occur in a physical change:
1. The mass can increase: In a physical change, the total mass of the substances involved does not change. The amount of matter stays the same, even though the physical properties or states may change.
2. The mass can decrease: As mentioned earlier, the mass of the substances typically does not change during a physical change. The amount of matter remains constant.
To summarize, physical changes involve reorganization and rearrangement of particles, but not changes in mass or bonding of atoms to different atoms.