Sadie has built a ball-and-stick model of a water molecule.

Question

ball and stick model of a water molecule
Sadie's model is useful, but it cannot show her everything about a real water molecule. Which of the following is a disadvantage of Sadie's model?
A.
It cannot show the relative size of oxygen and hydrogen atoms.
B.
It cannot show the number of atoms in the molecule.
C.
It cannot show the angle of the bond between the atoms.
D.
It cannot show how one water molecule interacts with another.

Answer 1

The disadvantage of Sadie's ball-and-stick model of a water molecule is:

C. It cannot show the angle of the bond between the atoms.

While a ball-and-stick model can represent the general shape and connectivity of a molecule, it often simplifies or does not accurately depict the angles and three-dimensional orientation of the bonds. Therefore, option C is the best choice.