Question

pH is a measure of the acidity of a substance. A pH of 7 is neutral, a pH above 7 is alkali, and a pH below 7 is acidic. You may assume that the provided argument is a valid floating point decimal positive number. Return a string as output that classifies the given value as alkali, neutral, or acidic. If the value is more than 3 away from 7 (4 > pH > 10) add the word "VERY" to the start of the string.

Answer 1

pH is used to measure the acidity or alkalinity of a substance with a scale ranging from 0 to 14, where values below 7 are acidic, 7 is neutral, and above 7 are alkali. The word 'VERY' is added to describe a solution with a pH much lower than 4 (strongly acidic) or much higher than 10 (strongly alkaline).

Step-by-step explanation:

pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a substance, where a pH of 7 is neutral, a pH above 7 is classified as alkali (or basic), and a pH below 7 is considered acidic. The pH value is determined by the negative base-10 logarithm of the hydrogen ion (H+) concentration in a solution. This measurement scale ranges from 0 to 14 with each integer representing a tenfold difference in acidity or alkalinity between consecutive values. According to the question, a value more than 3 away from 7 (which means a pH less than 4 or greater than 10) requires that the word 'VERY' be added to the classification, emphasizing the solution’s strong acidity or alkalinity.

If one were to classify a given pH value, it can be summarized as follows:

• If pH is less than 7, the solution is acidic.
• If pH is equal to 7, the solution is neutral.
• If pH is greater than 7, the solution is basic or alkali.

The 'VERY' modifier is used when the pH value is either less than 4 or greater than 10, indicating a very high concentration of hydrogen ions in acids or a very low concentration in alkali solutions.