Question

mhiel, kylie, hailey, oliver, and ashton are at the beach on a hot day. they notice that the liquid water in their water bottles is decreasing. which answer best explains what phase change has occurred and how the molecule arrangement has changed?
sublimation has occurred; molecules are in a solid state with minimal movement.
freezing has occurred; molecules are closely arranged in a solid form.
evaporation has occurred; molecules are more spread out in the gas phase.
condensation has occurred; molecules are tightly packed in the liquid phase.

Explanation:

Step1: Understand phase changes

Evaporation is the process where liquid turns into gas. When evaporation occurs, molecules gain energy and spread out more, entering the gas phase.

Step2: Analyze each option

• Sublimation is solid to gas, not relevant here as we start with liquid water.
• Freezing is liquid to solid, which would increase molecular order (opposite of molecules spreading out).
• Condensation is gas to liquid, which also would make molecules more closely packed (opposite of what we want).
• Evaporation (liquid to gas) causes molecules (which were in liquid phase - more closely packed compared to gas) to spread out (enter gas phase) as the phase change occurs.

Answer:

Evaporation has occurred; molecules are more spread out in the gas phase.