Question

Polly did an experiment with marbles in a glass bowl to show the movement of particles in solids, liquids, and gases. The experimental set-up is shown below:

A glass bowl is shown with four marbles inside it.

What should Polly do to represent the particles of a solid?
Pack the bowl with marbles and then tap it gently.
Add two more marbles to the bowl and then shake it slowly.
Take out two marbles from the bowl and then shake it vigorously.
Add water to the bowl so that the marbles start sliding past one another.

Answer 1

Answer: Pack the bowl with marbles and then tap it gently.

Explanation:

In the solid state, the particles of matter (atoms, molecules or ions) are packed together, and do not move with respect to each other, therefore, the model must show that the marbles are together without the possibility of sliding.

By packing the bowl with marbles and then tapping it gently the model depicts the situation in which the matter does not change its shape when a force is applied because the partilces keep their relative position.

Other configurations might be used to represent the liquid and gaseous states, since in those states the particles move:

• in liquid the particles can flow, the move sliding on each other.

• in gaseous state the particles are in continuous random motion and ocuppy the entire space (volume).