Four students complete the table below, ranking states of matter by potential energy. Which student is correct?

student name potential energy rating (lowest to highest)
Henry gas,liquid,solid
jasmine gas,solid,liquid
Lucas solid,gas,liquid
Tasha solid, liquid,gas
(1 point)
Responses

Tasha
Tasha

Henry
Henry

Jasmine
Jasmine

Lucas
Lucas
Skip to navigation

1 answer

To determine which student is correct regarding the ranking of states of matter by potential energy, we need to consider the characteristics of each state.

  • Solid: Particles are closely packed together and have strong intermolecular forces, resulting in low potential energy.
  • Liquid: Particles are less tightly packed than in a solid and can move around more freely, resulting in higher potential energy than solids but lower than gases.
  • Gas: Particles are far apart and move freely with weak intermolecular forces, resulting in high potential energy.

Based on this understanding, the correct ranking from lowest to highest potential energy is:

  1. Solid (lowest)
  2. Liquid
  3. Gas (highest)

Looking at the students' rankings:

  • Henry: gas, liquid, solid (incorrect)
  • Jasmine: gas, solid, liquid (incorrect)
  • Lucas: solid, gas, liquid (incorrect)
  • Tasha: solid, liquid, gas (correct)

Therefore, the student who is correct is Tasha.