In which of the following cases are the molecular motion and the molecular attractions relatively balanced?

Question

Group of answer choices

when a substance is in the liquid state

when a substance is in the caloric state

when a substance is in the solid state

when a substance is in the gaseous state

Answer 1

The correct choice is when a substance is in the liquid state.

In the liquid state, the molecular motion is significant enough to allow molecules to move past one another, but molecular attractions (intermolecular forces) are still present and strong enough to keep the substance cohesive. This results in a relatively balanced situation where molecules can flow and take the shape of their container while maintaining a defined volume.

In solids, molecular attractions dominate, holding the molecules in fixed positions, and in gases, molecular motion dominates as the molecules are spaced far apart and have minimal attraction to one another. The term "caloric state" is not a standard term used in modern thermodynamics or states of matter.