Question

if each whole number on the ph scale indicates a tenfold change in acidity, with lower numbers being more acidic, how much more acidic is water with a ph of 2 than water with a ph of 5? explain how you arrived at your answer.

Explanation:

Step1: Determine the difference in pH values

The difference between pH = 5 and pH = 2 is $5 - 2=3$.

Step2: Calculate the acidity ratio

Since each whole - number change in pH represents a ten - fold change in acidity, and the difference is 3, the ratio of acidity is $10\times10\times10 = 10^{3}=1000$. So water with a pH of 2 is 1000 times more acidic than water with a pH of 5.

Answer:

Water with a pH of 2 is 1000 times more acidic than water with a pH of 5.