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Lyle is about to spray 80 mL of air freshener from the center of his bedroom. He wants the air freshener to diffuse across the room quickly. How could he increase the rate at which the air freshener diffuses?

a) Open windows and doors to allow for better air circulation.

b) Increase the temperature in the room to speed up diffusion.

c) Spray the air freshener higher above the ground.

d) Use a fan to disperse the air freshener particles.

1 Answer

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Final answer:

To increase the rate of diffusion of the air freshener, Lyle can open windows and doors for better air circulation, raise the room temperature, spray the air freshener higher above the ground, and use a fan to disperse it more quickly.

Step-by-step explanation:

Lyle can increase the rate at which the air freshener diffuses by employing a few different methods. Opening windows and doors is one effective way to improve air circulation, thereby helping the air freshener molecules to spread more quickly throughout the room. Another method is to increase the temperature in the room; doing so increases the energy of the molecules, making them move faster and causing the diffusion process to occur more rapidly. Additionally, spraying the air freshener higher above the ground could aid in its dispersal due to the way air circulates and mixes in a room. Lastly, using a fan to blow the air freshener around can greatly enhance the distribution of the fragrance particles, ensuring a quicker and more even dispersion.

These methods are based on the principles of diffusion, which include factors such as temperature, solvent density, and air movement influencing the rate at which particles spread. Specifically, an air freshener is sprayed, the molecules spread throughout the room and cannot make their way back into the bottle because the entropy of the molecules increases, which is a measure of disorder or randomness in a system.

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