Practice AP Chemistry questions on using particle motion and collisions to represent how thermal energy changes molecular speeds as systems move toward equilibrium.
A student performs an experiment to determine the specific heat capacity of a metal. The student places a cube of the metal in boiling water so its temperature will be 100.0°C. The student then places the metal cube into a calorimeter that contains water and records the highest temperature of the water. A data table and a diagram of the thermometer at the highest temperature are shown.
A particle-level representation of water molecules in the calorimeter before and after the metal cube was added is shown. The length of the arrows in the Before diagram represents the speed of the water molecules in the system. In the After diagram, draw an arrow for each molecule to indicate how the speed of each of the molecules changes after the metal cube is added.
