Question

in the previous combustion experiment, the technician determined that the mass of the firewood and oxygen reactants before burning was 2.72 kg, and the mass of the cooled ash that remained after burning was 0.095 kg. during that combustion experiment, the temperature inside the burning chamber was extremely hot, and the temperature on the outside of the chamber was also extremely hot. the technician was careful not to place his hands on the outside surface of the chamber during the combustion experiment to avoid getting burned. is this burning chamber an example of an open system, a closed system, or an isolated system? explain your answer.

Explanation:

An open system exchanges matter and energy with its surroundings. In this combustion experiment, mass is lost (as the mass of reactants is greater than the mass of ash, indicating some products escaped as gases) and heat is transferred (the outside of the chamber is hot). A closed system only exchanges energy, not matter, and an isolated system exchanges neither matter nor energy. Since matter and energy are being exchanged, it's an open system.

Answer:

It is an open system because matter (gaseous products) is lost during the reaction and energy (heat) is transferred to the surroundings as the outside of the chamber is hot.