Question
In which of the three states of matter are the particles close together and moving randomly?
Answer
4.6
(234 Votes)
Flora
Veteran · Tutor for 11 years
Answer
The state of matter where the particles are close together and moving randomly is the liquid state.
Explanation
## Step 1:First, identify what the question is asking. The question is asking about the state of matter where particles are close to each other and move randomly at the same time.## Step 2:Assess each state of matter specifically:- Gas: In the gaseous state, particles are spaced out and move in a free, random manner. Their motion is not bound to close quarters due to lack of loosely or tightly packed arrangement. Therefore, gas doesn't match the condition asked in the question.- Liquid: In a liquid, particles are closely packed but not in a fixed lattice unlike solids. Therefore, the particles freely move or slide around each other which translates into a random movement. Liquids, thereby, satisfy the condition of being close together and moving randomly.- Solid: In solids, the particles are closely packed in a fixed lattice. This leads to just vibratory motion while they are stuck in one place. Hence, the particles in a solid do not meet all criteria the question asks for, that is, movement is not random here as in liquids.## Step 3:Based on this analysis, only the liquid considers particles close together and also moving randomly at the same time.