Question

Cynthia sees that most of the ice in her iced tea has melted. Assuming the water and the ice are at the same temperature, what happened to the particles in her ice? Responses The particles have had their kinetic energy converted into thermal energy. The particles have had their kinetic energy converted into thermal energy. - no response given The particles have a higher temperature than before and are moving more freely. The particles have a higher temperature than before and are moving more freely. - no response given The particles have a much greater amount of kinetic energy than before. The particles have a much greater amount of kinetic energy than before. - no response given The particles have the same amount of kinetic energy but no longer vibrate in place.

Answer 1

The correct response to what happened to the particles in Cynthia's ice as it melted is:

The particles have had their kinetic energy converted into thermal energy.

When ice melts, the solid ice (which has particles that are tightly packed and vibrate in place) absorbs heat, and this heat energy increases the kinetic energy of the particles. This process allows the ice to transition from a solid state to a liquid state (water) as it melts. As the ice absorbs thermal energy, the particles gain kinetic energy and begin to move more freely, but they do not necessarily have a higher temperature than before until the phase change is complete. Hence, the melting process primarily involves the conversion of thermal energy, enabling the ice to change state.