Indicate whether each of the following describes a gas, a liquid, or a solid.

Problem 3.7

Indicate whether each of the following describes a gas, a liquid, or a solid: a. The air in a scuba tank has no definite volume or shape. b. The neon atoms in a lighting display do not interact with each other. c. The particles in an ice cube are held in a rigid structure.

Step-by-Step Solution:

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The term matter refers to something that consumes space and has mass, the "stuff" of which the universe is made, in other words. All matter consists of substances called atoms, which have different chemical and physical properties and cannot be broken down by ordinary chemical reactions into other substances.

Matter is districted into three physical forms:

     1)     Solid: Solid matter is composed of particles which are closely packed. A material that maintains its size and form without a container; a substance whose molecules will not move freely except to vibrate; a solid can maintain its structure; the particles are not able to move about.

     2)     Liquid: Liquid matter is made up of more densely packed particles. It's going to assume the form of its shell. Particles may pass in a liquid, but they are bundled densely enough to retain the volume.

     3)     Gas: The gaseous matter is made up of particles so loosely packaged that it has no specified form or volume. The gas can be concentrated. A fluid that can only be enclosed if it is entirely surrounded by a bottle (or bound together by gravitational pull); a substance whose molecules have minimal intermolecular interactions and can travel freely.

a.     

Given - The air in a scuba tank has no definite volume or shape.

As there is no definite shape and volume of the air inside the scuba tank so it must be a gas.

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