Question

which best describes why a liquid needs a container when a solid does not?
○ solids fill their containers, and liquids have definite shapes.
○ solids have definite shapes, and liquids fill their containers.
○ solids particles will expand to fill their containers, and liquid particles will expand as well.
○ solids particles expand to fill their containers, and liquid particles do not.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the properties of solids and liquids:

1. Solids have a definite shape because their particles are closely packed and vibrate in fixed positions, so they don't need a container to maintain their shape.
2. Liquids have particles that are close but can move past each other, so they take the shape of their container (fill the container's shape) and thus need a container to hold them.
3. Analyzing the options:

• Option 1 is incorrect: Solids don't fill containers (liquids do), and liquids do not have definite shapes.
• Option 2 is correct: Solids have definite shapes (so no container needed for shape), and liquids fill their containers (so need a container).
• Option 3 is incorrect: Solid particles do not expand to fill containers; that's a gas property.
• Option 4 is incorrect: Solid particles don't expand to fill containers, and liquid particles do take the container's shape (fill it), so this is wrong.

Answer:

B. Solids have definite shapes, and liquids fill their containers.