As water becomes warmer, boils and then becomes water vapor (steam), what happens to its kinetic and potential energies?

Answer 1

As water is heated and transitions from liquid to vapor, both its kinetic and potential energies change. Here’s a breakdown of what happens:

1. Kinetic Energy: In the liquid phase, the molecules have a certain amount of kinetic energy, which is related to their temperature. As the temperature of the water increases, the kinetic energy of the water molecules increases; they move faster. When the water reaches its boiling point, the kinetic energy continues to increase, facilitating the transition from liquid to vapor.

2. Potential Energy: In the liquid state, water molecules are attracted to each other due to intermolecular forces, and this attraction gives them a certain amount of potential energy. As water boils, the potential energy increases because energy is required to overcome these intermolecular forces, allowing the molecules to separate and transition into a gaseous state (steam). This increase in potential energy is what allows the molecules to escape from the liquid phase into the vapor phase.

In summary, as water turns into steam, its kinetic energy increases due to higher temperatures, while its potential energy also increases as the intermolecular forces are overcome during the phase change. Thus, both forms of energy increase during this process.