Original Project
Weather and Climate I: Basic Elements
Clouds and rain form as air cools and water vapor in the air condenses into water droplets.
Item AM036003: Water spilled on the floor will eventually disappear because the water molecules become a gas and are now part of the air.
You spill a little water on a tile floor but don’t have time to wipe it up. A few hours later, most of the water is gone. What happened to the water?
- The water molecules were destroyed.
- The water molecules got smaller and now take up less space.
- The water molecules became a gas and are now part of the air.
- The water molecules broke down into hydrogen and oxygen atoms, which are now in the air.
Answer Choice |
Overall |
Grades |
Gender |
Primary Language |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 2893 |
6–8 n = 1856 |
9–12 n = 1029 |
Male n = 1427 |
Female n = 1435 |
English n = 2543 |
Other n = 300 |
||
| A. | The water molecules were destroyed. | 6% | 6% | 5% | 7% | 4% | 5% | 11% |
| B. | The water molecules got smaller and now take up less space. | 9% | 10% | 8% | 9% | 9% | 8% | 15% |
| C. | The water molecules became a gas and are now part of the air. | 48% | 46% | 53% | 51% | 46% | 50% | 35% |
| D. | The water molecules broke down into hydrogen and oxygen atoms, which are now in the air. | 37% | 39% | 34% | 33% | 42% | 37% | 38% |