Question

choosing the appropriate property
a sample of iodine is easiest to ship as a powder because it is dropdown, making it easy to break into small pieces.
helium is less brittle than the elements that text cut off, so a balloon filled with helium will float in air.
plastic is a compound of nonmetallic elements, so its dropdown properties make it a popular coating for electric wires to prevent the current from escaping.
dropdown options: volatile, brittle, thermally insulating

Explanation:

First Blank (Iodine):

Step1: Analyze the property of iodine for shipping as powder.

The key here is that being easy to break into small pieces relates to the property of brittleness. Volatile refers to tendency to vaporize, and thermally insulating is about heat transfer. So iodine being easy to break (brittle) makes it good to ship as powder.

Step2: Select the correct option.

From the dropdown, the option that fits is "brittle" as it describes the ability to break into small pieces.

Second Blank (Helium):

Step1: Analyze helium's property for floating.

Helium floats because it's less dense, but the options given are about brittleness, volatility, or thermal insulation. Wait, maybe a typo in the question, but among the options, "brittle" doesn't fit. Wait, no, the first part: Helium is a gas, and the elements it's compared to (maybe metals or solids) - but the dropdown has "brittle" as the selected one? Wait, no, the question says "Helium is less [blank] than the elements that...", and the dropdown options are volatile, brittle, thermally insulating. Helium is a gas, and brittle is a property of solids (like breaking easily). So Helium is less brittle than solid elements (since Helium is a gas, not brittle at all, while solids can be brittle). So the correct option here is "brittle" (as per the dropdown shown with "brittle" selected, and the logic: brittle is a property of solids, Helium (gas) is less brittle than solid elements).

Third Blank (Plastic):

Step1: Analyze plastic's property for electric wires.

To prevent current from escaping, plastic needs to be an insulator (electrically insulating, but the option is "thermally insulating"? Wait, maybe a mix-up, but among the options: volatile (vaporize), brittle (break), thermally insulating (prevent heat transfer). Wait, no, for electric wires, we need electrical insulation, but the option given is "thermally insulating". Wait, maybe the question has a typo, but from the options, "thermally insulating" is about preventing heat transfer, but for electric wires, electrical insulation. But among the given options, "thermally insulating" is the one that fits the idea of preventing transfer (of heat, but maybe the question meant electrical, but the option is thermally insulating). So the correct option here is "thermally insulating".

Answer:

First blank: brittle
Second blank: brittle
Third blank: thermally insulating