Question

which of the following explains the observation that, for the same substance, the density of a gas is much less than the density of a solid?​

Answer 1

The lower density of gases compared to solids is because gas molecules are spread out with a lot of empty space between them, while solids have molecules packed tightly together.

Step-by-step explanation:

The observation that the density of a gas is much less than the density of a solid for the same substance is explained by the arrangement and spacing of atoms and molecules in different states of matter. In solids and liquids, atoms and molecules are packed closely together, while in gases, they are separated by large amounts of empty space. Because density is the mass per unit volume, and volume is related to the space occupied by the substance, a significant increase in distance between gas molecules leads to a much larger occupied volume and hence, a much lower density compared to solids and liquids.

Check Your Understanding

• Liquids and solids have densities roughly 1000 times greater than gases.
• This implies that the distances between atoms and molecules in gases are about 10 times greater than the size of the atoms and molecules themselves, contributing to the lower density of gases.