Question

Mrs. Smith ordered a root beer float (vanilla ice cream + root beer). Mrs. Smith noticed that the three states of matter (solid, liquid, and gas) all existed simultaneously in her root beer float.
A. Identify each phase of matter in the root beer float.


B. Describe the particles of all three phases of matter in the root beer float. (How are the particles arranged and moving?)


C. Identify one phase change you would see in a root beer float and described what causes this change.

Answer 1

Explanation:

• For A:

It is given that root beer float consists of vanilla ice cream and root beer. In this float, all the three phases are present. the three phases are solid, liquid and gas.

Root beer is a carbonated, sweetened beverage which has carbon dioxide dissolved in liquid.

Here, vanilla ice cream is the the solid phase, root beer is liquid phase and carbon dioxide dissolved which is released in the air from root beer is the gaseous phase.

• For B:

In Solid phase, particles are closely packed and are arranged in orderly manner. The spacing between the solid particles is very less and hence, have minimum kinetic energy in the particles.

In Liquid phase, particles are loosely packed as compared to solids, and are less orderly arranged than the solids. The spacing between the particles is more than solid and hence, have more kinetic energy in the particles.

In Gas phase, particles are loosely packed and are arranged randomly. The spacing between the particles is more and hence, have the highest kinetic energy in the particles.

• For C:

In root beer float, the ice cream starts to melt after some time and changes its state to liquid state. This process is known as melting.

Melting is the process when solid state changes its state to liquid state when temperature is increased.

$Solid\rightleftharpoons Liquid$

As, temperature of surroundings is more than the temperature of ice-cream. Hence, it starts to melt.