Question

when you boil water, what is happening to the particles? the particles speed up. the particles slow down. the particles remain the same.

Explanation:

When heat is added to a liquid (like water being boiled), the energy is transferred to the particles. According to the kinetic - molecular theory, the kinetic energy of particles is related to their motion. As heat (energy) is added, the kinetic energy of the water particles increases. Kinetic energy \(K = \frac{1}{2}mv^{2}\) (where \(m\) is the mass of the particle and \(v\) is the velocity). Since the mass of water particles remains constant during boiling (no chemical change in the water molecules themselves, just a physical state change), an increase in kinetic energy means an increase in the speed (\(v\)) of the particles.

Answer:

The particles speed up.