Gases and liquids share the property of
A) definite volume
B) incompressibility indefinite shape
D) compressibility
E) definite shape
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is A) definite volume.
Explanation:
Gases and liquids are both states of matter, but they differ significantly in their properties. One important property they share is having a definite volume. This means that at a given temperature and pressure, both liquids and gases occupy a fixed amount of space.
For liquids, this is easy to understand because their particles are close together and have strong intermolecular forces, which keep the volume constant. Liquids take the shape of their container but do not expand to fill the entire container volume. The particles are able to move around each other, allowing liquids to flow, but they remain tightly packed enough to maintain a definite volume.
Gases also have a definite volume under certain conditions. While gases can expand and compress more easily than liquids, at a given temperature and pressure, a gas sample occupies a specific volume. This volume can change if the pressure or temperature changes, but at constant conditions, the volume is well defined.
However, gases differ from liquids because gases have neither a definite shape nor are they incompressible. Gases fill any container they are placed in, adopting the container’s shape and volume. They are highly compressible, meaning that applying pressure can greatly reduce their volume.
In summary, while liquids have a definite volume and shape is indefinite (they take the shape of the container), gases have a definite volume only when pressure and temperature are constant, but generally have an indefinite shape and are compressible. This makes option A the correct choice because definite volume is the property that gases and liquids share.