Question
A glass of water sits on a table. The temperature of the water is the same as that of the
glass.
Which would move faster, the silicon dioxide (SiO2) molecules that make up the glass
or the water (H2O) molecules?
glass.
Which would move faster, the silicon dioxide (SiO2) molecules that make up the glass
or the water (H2O) molecules?
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The speed of the molecules in a substance at a given temperature is related to their kinetic energy, which is influenced by their mass and temperature. At the same temperature, lighter molecules typically move faster than heavier ones because they have a higher average speed for the same amount of kinetic energy.
In this case, water (H₂O) molecules are less massive than silicon dioxide (SiO₂) molecules. The molar mass of water is about 18 g/mol, while that of silicon dioxide is about 60 g/mol. Since the water molecules have a lower mass, they will move faster than the silicon dioxide molecules when both are at the same temperature.
Therefore, the water (H₂O) molecules would move faster than the silicon dioxide (SiO₂) molecules at the same temperature.
In this case, water (H₂O) molecules are less massive than silicon dioxide (SiO₂) molecules. The molar mass of water is about 18 g/mol, while that of silicon dioxide is about 60 g/mol. Since the water molecules have a lower mass, they will move faster than the silicon dioxide molecules when both are at the same temperature.
Therefore, the water (H₂O) molecules would move faster than the silicon dioxide (SiO₂) molecules at the same temperature.