Question

Explain an activity to show that the particles of matter have inter-particle spaces between them.

Answer 1

To show that the particles of matter have inter-particle spaces between them, the following activity can be performed:

1. In a beaker, put roughly $100\mathrm{mL}$ water.
2. With a marker, mark the level of water in the beaker.
3. In the beaker, dissolve 50 grams of sugar .
4. Stir the sugar with a glass rod to dissolve it. A sugar solution is obtained when all of the sugar has dissolved.
5. Examine the sugar solution level in the beaker.

It should be observed that the sugar solution level in the beaker is at the same level as the water level in the beaker. This means that there are some gaps between the water particles which is occupied by the sugar molecules.