Original Project
Substances, Chemical Reactions, and Conservation of Matter
Item SC057008: Two solids with the same melting point and color could be the same substance. (This item uses a table that lists properties of the solids.)
A student makes some observations about three solids and summarizes the results in the table below.
| Mass | Melting Point | Color | |
| Solid 1 | 3.0 g | 776°C | white |
| Solid 2 | 3.0 g | 445°C | white |
| Solid 3 | 9.8 g | 445°C | white |
Could any of the solids be the same substance and why?
- Solids 1 and 2 could be the same substance. Even though they do not have the same melting point, they have the same mass.
- Solids 2 and 3 could be the same substance. Even though they do not have the same mass, they have the same melting point and color.
- Solids 1, 2, and 3 could all be the same substance. Even though they do not all have the same mass and melting point, they have the same color.
- Solids 1, 2, and 3 cannot be the same substance because they have different combinations of color, melting point, and mass.
Answer Choice |
Overall |
Grades |
Gender |
Primary Language |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 2433 |
6–8 n = 1210 |
9–12 n = 1215 |
Male n = 1181 |
Female n = 1210 |
English n = 2115 |
Other n = 268 |
||
| A. | Solids 1 and 2 could be the same substance. Even though they do not have the same melting point, they have the same mass. | 18% | 20% | 16% | 18% | 18% | 18% | 21% |
| B. | Solids 2 and 3 could be the same substance. Even though they do not have the same mass, they have the same melting point and color. | 52% | 46% | 57% | 53% | 51% | 52% | 51% |
| C. | Solids 1, 2, and 3 could all be the same substance. Even though they do not all have the same mass and melting point, they have the same color. | 13% | 14% | 12% | 13% | 13% | 12% | 17% |
| D. | Solids 1, 2, and 3 cannot be the same substance because they have different combinations of color, melting point, and mass. | 17% | 20% | 15% | 16% | 18% | 18% | 11% |