What is the relationship between the internal energy of a substance and its state of matter?
Responses
A As a gas loses internal energy it becomes a plasma.As a gas loses internal energy it becomes a plasma.
B Closer packed atoms generally have more internal energy.Closer packed atoms generally have more internal energy.
C As the internal energy decreases a substance will spread further apart.As the internal energy decreases a substance will spread further apart.
D As the internal energy increases a substance would go from solid to a liquid.
D The internal energy of a substance increases as it goes from a solid to a liquid state.
The correct answer is D: As the internal energy increases, a substance would go from a solid to a liquid.
To understand the relationship between the internal energy of a substance and its state of matter, it is important to first understand what internal energy is. Internal energy is the sum of all the kinetic and potential energies of the particles within a substance. It includes the vibrational, rotational, and translational energies of the atoms or molecules that make up the substance.
In a solid state, the atoms or molecules are closely packed and have a fixed position. The internal energy of a solid is relatively low. As the internal energy increases (for example, by increasing the temperature), the atoms or molecules gain enough energy to overcome the forces holding them together, and the substance will undergo a phase transition to become a liquid. In a liquid state, the particles are still close together, but they have more freedom to flow and move past each other.
If the internal energy continues to increase, the substance will eventually transition to a gas state. In a gas, the particles are much more spread apart and have higher kinetic energy. This is because the increased internal energy has provided enough energy for the particles to overcome intermolecular forces and move independently.
Option A is incorrect because losing internal energy does not result in a substance becoming a plasma. A plasma is a highly ionized gas that typically requires extremely high temperatures or electromagnetic interactions to form.
Option B is incorrect because the internal energy of a substance is not solely determined by the closeness of its atoms. It depends on various factors such as temperature, pressure, and the nature of the intermolecular forces.
Option C is incorrect because as the internal energy decreases, the substance tends to condense and become more compact rather than spread further apart.
Therefore, the correct relationship between the internal energy of a substance and its state of matter is that, as the internal energy increases, a substance would go from a solid to a liquid, and then to a gas.