Question

What physical properties are used when making a cup of tea by boiling a tea bag in hot water?

Answer 1

Physical properties can be perceived or observed without changing the structure of matter. These are used to detect and describe matter. Physical properties comprise: appearance, texture, color, odor, boiling point, melting point, density, solubility, and polarity just to name a few.

In this case, the physical process used is boiling, which causes water to evaporate and the contents in the tea bag to become more soluble and can make the color to change. Also, the physical property of solubility relates to some of the components of the tea.

Answer 2

The physical properties that are used when making a cup of tea include: color change, solubility, odour and diffusion.
When hot water is added to a tea bag, the tea particles gains energy and begin to move at a faster rate than before. This movement leads to the diffusion of the tea particles out of the tea bag into the water in the tea cup through the semi permeable membrane of the tea bag. This process makes one to perceive the smell of the tea. The outward diffusion of the tea particles add color to the boiling water that was pour into the cup. The boiling water also speed up the rate at which the added sugar dissolves.