To determine the best explanation for the results shown in the table regarding the dispersion of food coloring in the two different water samples, let's analyze the provided options:
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The temperature of Sample 2 is higher.
This suggests that the molecules in Sample 2 are moving faster because temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the molecules. Faster-moving molecules would facilitate quicker dispersion of the food coloring. -
The temperature of Sample 2 is close to freezing.
This implies that the molecules in Sample 2 would have lower kinetic energy and would likely cause slower dispersion of the food coloring, which does not logically explain rapid dispersion. -
The molecules in Sample 1 have more kinetic energy.
If Sample 1 has more kinetic energy, it would lead to a greater movement of the food coloring molecules within that sample. However, this does not provide a direct comparison to Sample 2 or how the results align with the data shown in the table.
Based on the reasoning above, the strongest explanation would likely be:
"The temperature of Sample 2 is higher."
This implies that the higher kinetic energy due to the increased temperature would lead to a faster dispersion of the food coloring in Sample 2 compared to Sample 1, assuming the food coloring disperses more quickly in warmer water.