Read the passage about a science experiment that Bill conducted: “Bill grabbed an unfilled water bottle and capped it securely. Subsequently, he immersed the water bottle into a pot of boiling water. After a span of 5 minutes, Bill extracted the bottle from the heat and promptly transferred it into a bath of cold water.” Which of the following best explains what Bill observed?

Answer 1

Bill's experiment likely involved observing the effects of temperature changes on the air inside the sealed water bottle. When he immersed the empty bottle in boiling water, the air inside the bottle would have heated up, causing it to expand. After removing the bottle from the boiling water and placing it into cold water, the temperature of the air inside the bottle would drop, leading to contraction of the air. This change in volume could create a partial vacuum inside the bottle, potentially causing the sides of the bottle to collapse inward. Therefore, the best explanation for what Bill observed is that the bottle’s sides were likely sucked inward due to the decrease in air pressure inside as the air cooled.