as water becomes warmer, boils and then becomes water vapor, what happens to its kinetic and potential energies?

Answer 1

As water is heated and eventually boils to become water vapor, both its kinetic and potential energies undergo specific changes:

1. Kinetic Energy: As the temperature of the water increases, the kinetic energy of the water molecules increases. This is because temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the molecules in a substance. When the water is heated, the molecules move faster, which means their kinetic energy rises. When the water reaches its boiling point and begins to transition to vapor, the kinetic energy continues to increase as the molecules gain more energy.

2. Potential Energy: When water boils, it undergoes a phase transition from liquid to gas. During this phase change, the potential energy of the water molecules increases. This is because energy is required to overcome the intermolecular forces that hold the liquid molecules together. The energy absorbed during boiling is used to separate the molecules from each other, which increases their potential energy. The temperature of the water remains constant at the boiling point during this phase change until all the water has evaporated, even though the molecules are still gaining potential energy.

In summary, as water is heated and boils:

• The kinetic energy increases as the temperature rises.
• Potential energy also increases during the phase change from liquid to vapor due to the work done to overcome intermolecular attractions.

After the water completely evaporates into water vapor, it continues to gain kinetic energy if heat is applied further, which will increase its temperature as a gas.