Use the image to answer the question.

A photo shows a piece of gallium melting in someone’s hand.

The gallium in the image is melting in the person’s hand. Which changes will occur on a microscopic level?

(1 point)
Responses

The gallium atoms will gain potential energy, moving freely from each other.
The gallium atoms will gain potential energy, moving freely from each other.

The gallium atoms will gain kinetic energy.
The gallium atoms will gain kinetic energy.

The gallium atoms will increase in temperature.
The gallium atoms will increase in temperature.

The gallium atoms will be moving faster on average.
The gallium atoms will be moving faster on average.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
The gallium atoms will gain potential energy, moving more freely from each other.

Explanation: During melting the added heat goes into breaking the solid structure (increasing potential energy) rather than raising temperature, so the atoms become less tightly bound and can move past one another while their average kinetic energy (temperature) stays about the same until the melt is complete.