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In which of the three states of matter are the particles close together and moving randomly?

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In which of the three states of matter are
the particles close together and moving
randomly?

In which of the three states of matter are the particles close together and moving randomly?

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FloraVeteran · Tutor for 11 years

Answer

The state of matter where the particles are close together and moving randomly is the liquid state.

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## Step 1:<br />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.<br /><br />## Step 2:<br />Assess each state of matter specifically:<br /><br />- 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.<br /><br />- 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.<br /><br />- 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.<br /><br />## Step 3:<br />Based on this analysis, only the liquid considers particles close together and also moving randomly at the same time.
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