Four students complete the table below, ranking states of matter by potential energy. Which student is correct?
henry gas,liquid,solid
jasmine gas,solid,liquid
lucas solid,liquid,gas
tasha solid,liquid,gas
All four students have different rankings for the states of matter by potential energy. Without further information, it is impossible to determine which student is correct.
To determine which student is correct, we need to understand the correct sequence of states of matter based on their potential energy.
The potential energy of states of matter generally follows this order:
1. Gas: Gas particles have the highest potential energy because they are most disorganized and have the highest degree of freedom to move around.
2. Liquid: Liquid particles have less potential energy compared to gas particles as they are more closely packed together and restricted in their movement.
3. Solid: Solid particles have the least potential energy as they are tightly packed together and have very limited movement.
Now let's compare the rankings given by each student:
Henry's ranking: gas, liquid, solid
Jasmine's ranking: gas, solid, liquid
Lucas's ranking: solid, liquid, gas
Tasha's ranking: solid, liquid, gas
Comparing these rankings to the correct order, we can see that both Henry and Jasmine have the correct ranking. Both put gas as having the highest potential energy, followed by solid, and then liquid.
Therefore, either Henry or Jasmine is correct.