Question

If a 500mL glass beaker is filled to the brim with ethyl alcohol at a temperature of 5.00ºC, how much will overflow when its temperature reaches 22.0ºC?

A) (6.25 mL)
B) (12.5 mL)
C) (18.8 mL)
D) (25.0 mL)

How much less water would overflow under the same conditions?
A) (6.25 mL)
B) (12.5 mL)
C) (18.8 mL)
D) (25.0 mL)

Answer 1

When a 500mL glass beaker filled with ethyl alcohol is heated from 5.00ºC to 22.0ºC, approximately 6.15 mL of ethyl alcohol will overflow. If water was used instead, approximately 1.3 mL less water would overflow under the same conditions. Therefore the correct answer is A) (6.25 mL).

Step-by-step explanation:

When a substance is heated, it expands due to the increase in temperature. This is known as thermal expansion. In the case of the 500mL glass beaker filled with ethyl alcohol, when its temperature increases from 5.00ºC to 22.0ºC, the ethyl alcohol will expand and some of it will overflow.

To calculate the amount of ethyl alcohol that will overflow, we need to consider the coefficient of volume expansion. For ethyl alcohol, the coefficient of volume expansion is approximately 1.11 x 10^-3 ºC^-1.

Using the formula ΔV = V0 * β * ΔT, where ΔV is the change in volume, V0 is the initial volume, β is the coefficient of volume expansion, and ΔT is the change in temperature, we can calculate the amount of ethyl alcohol that will overflow.

ΔV = (500mL) * (1.11 x 10^-3 ºC^-1) * (22.0ºC - 5.00ºC) = 6.15 mL approximately.

Therefore, approximately 6.15 mL of ethyl alcohol will overflow.

For the second question, if water were to be used instead of ethyl alcohol, a similar calculation can be done using the coefficient of volume expansion for water, which is approximately 2.07 x 10^-4 ºC^-1.

ΔV = (500mL) * (2.07 x 10^-4 ºC^-1) * (22.0ºC - 5.00ºC) = 1.3 mL approximately.

Therefore, approximately 1.3 mL less water would overflow under the same conditions.