Question

One method of making rock candy is by suspending a string in a container of heated syrup with a high sugar content. Over time, after the sugar cools, crystals begin to form on the string (this is the rock candy). After the string is put in the container, consider the mass of everything in the container before and after the rock candy forms. Should the mass of everything in the container increase, decrease, or stay the same? Explain.

Answer 1

The mass of everything in the container when making rock candy remains constant before and after the formation of the candy due to the law of conservation of mass, with sugar molecules transferring from a dissolved state to a solid form.

Step-by-step explanation:

When making rock candy, the mass of everything in the container should stay the same before and after the rock candy forms. This process involves sugar crystals forming on the string as the syrup cools. According to the law of conservation of mass, mass is neither created nor destroyed in a closed system. The sugar molecules are simply changing from a dissolved state in the syrup to a solid crystal form on the string. The overall mass remains constant; the appearance of solid sugar increases while the concentration of dissolved sugar in the syrup decreases correspondingly.