Look at the pictures below.
Forest Fire:
Fire in progress
Fire extinguished
Claim - Is this a chemical change or a physical change?
(1 point)
Responses
Chemical change
Chemical change
Physical change
5 answers
Physical change
Evidence - What observations about the forest fire support your claim? Answer the question with one or more complete sentences to receive full credit. Optional - Use a sentence stem from the "Evidence" Box below.
Observations of the forest fire support the claim that it is a physical change because there is no evidence of a new substance being formed. The fire is simply a result of the combustion of organic matter, which involves a physical transformation of the materials involved rather than a chemical reaction.
Reasoning - How does your evidence support your claim about the forest fire? Answer the question with one or more complete sentences for full credit. Optional - Use a sentence stem from the "Reasoning" Box below.
The evidence of the forest fire being a physical change is supported by the absence of any new substances being formed during the fire. In a chemical change, new compounds or molecules are typically produced, but in the case of a forest fire, the materials involved (such as trees and vegetation) are simply undergoing a physical transformation due to the release of heat and the conversion of organic matter into ash and smoke. Therefore, the lack of any chemical reactions or the formation of new substances supports the claim that the forest fire is a physical change.