what is the key difference between a liquid and a gas?
i can't decide between these two i have narrowed it down to:
a. motion of particles
b. average kinetic energy,

Respuesta :

There are many differences between liquid and solid but with your remaining choices, the first one is the correct answer. motion of particles  This is because you could tell whether it is solid if the movement of the particles is slow due to its small gaps while in liquid, the movement of the particles are faster than that of the solid because it has more space between its particles.

A key difference between a liquid and a gas is [tex]\boxed{{\text{a}}{\text{. motion of particles}}}[/tex] .

Further Explanation:

Matter can mainly exist in three physical states. These are solid, liquid and gas.

Solid

It is that state of matter that has a definite shape and volume. These have a regular arrangement of its constituent particles. These have the strongest intermolecular forces between their constituent particles and therefore the motion of particles in solid is almost negligible. Table salt, wood and diamond are some examples of solids.

Liquid

The state of matter with a definite volume but no particular shape is called liquid. The intermolecular forces in the liquids are weaker than that in solids and therefore the motion of particles in liquids is more as compared to that in solids. Milk, water and bromine are some examples of liquids.

Gas

This state of matter has neither a definite shape nor a definite volume. These have disordered arrangement of its constituent particles. These have the weakest intermolecular forces between their constituent particles and therefore the motion of particles in a gas is the highest among all states of matter. Nitrogen, hydrogen and carbon dioxide are some examples of gases.

As intermolecular forces in liquids is more than that in gases so motion among gas particles will be more than that among liquid particles. So both these states of matter have differences in motion of their respective particles. But average kinetic energy is measured on the basis of kinetic theory of gases that is applicable only for gases. So average kinetic energy cannot be defined for liquids and therefore it cannot be compared with that of gases.

Learn more:

1. The subatomic particle with the least mass: https://brainly.com/question/2224691

2. Bohr’s model of the atom: https://brainly.com/question/2965079

Answer details:

Grade: High School

Subject: Chemistry

Chapter: Matter in our surroundings

Keywords: liquid, gas, solid, states of matter, intermolecular forces, shape, volume, matter, strong, weakest, motion of particles.