Week 14 Blog post

                                                     What did you learn this week?

This week, I learned that the reason why roads in Iowa constantly have cracks in them is because of the extreme heat in the summer and the freezing cold in the winter. The particles are constantly expanding and contracting, which causes the roads to crack. Additionally, I learned that solids have a well-defined shape and volume because the particles vibrate relative to their neighbor, but they do not move around. Liquid particles can slip and slide past each other, which is why liquids have a specific volume but not a set shape.

            Are you able to relate what you learned to what you already knew?

In prior classes, I had learned that solid particles are close together, and liquid particles are farther apart than solids. I knew that temperature was related to how fast or slow the particles moved, directly impacting how the liquid or solid kept its shape. I learned that the solid particles always keep the same "partner," and liquid particles move all over the place. In our Pressbook, they talked about the temperature measures how quickly particles vibrate, which is why the liquid particles move faster.

                                        What questions do you still have?

How does sublimation occur? I understand it is when particles go straight from a solid to a gas, but how can they just "skip" over the liquid phase? How can particles change so drastically? Also, we have been taught that there are steps for everything in life, so how can certain substances just skip a step? In this case, how can they skip the liquid phase and go straight from a solid to a gas?