Experiments to Show Physical Changes

Introduction

The world around us is constantly changing. We are building new skyscrapers, altering landscapes, and innovating technology. These changes are often so gradual that we don’t even notice them. However, some changes are so profound that we can’t overlook them. 

Such modifications are physical changes caused by natural or artificial processes or both. A classic example of physical change is global warming or climate change. It is a natural phenomenon resulting from the excessive presence of heat-trapping gases such as carbon dioxide in the environment.

But how do we explain physical changes?

With experiments, of course. We will look at some experiments to show Physical change in this article. But let us first learn more about physical changes.

What is a Physical Change?

Physical changes alter a substance’s physical state without changing its chemical composition. 

For example, a physical reaction causes a substance to change from a solid to a liquid, but it still contains the same chemical composition as before. We can say the substance has undergone a physical change in this case.

Physical changes are the most obvious ones when it comes to a change in a material; they are easy to spot. For instance, iron turns orange when it rusts. 

Physical Changes

The most obvious physical properties that distinguish the three phases of matter are the properties that make a material a solid, a liquid, or a gas. 

The solid phase is where we find the most stable and solid-like properties, such as rigidity and a high melting point.

In the liquid phase, fluidity is lesser than that in the gaseous phase. The flow between the three phases of matter is what gives us our material world. This flow is what allows us to experience the world in the way that we do. 

We often think of physical properties as unchanging, but that isn’t always the case. Physical properties can change over time, in response to the environment or through use and ageing. For example, the colour of a shirt is a physical property and so is its shape. The shirt has the same shape today as it did when you bought it, but it has faded from blue to white over time, in response to the wear and tear of wear or use.

Physical properties include many other aspects of a substance, including its various properties like:

1. Lustre 
2. Malleability
3. Density
4. Viscosity
5. Solubility
6. Mass
7. Volume

Any significant change in these physical properties is called a physical change. This is because these changes represent a transformation of the object’s matter.

We can classify the common physical Changes that take place on the basis of its:

1. Texture 
2. Colour
3. Temperature
4. Shape
5. Change of State

The following are the changes of state that a substance may undergo.

When heat is added to a substance, similarly to the way in melting, vaporisation, and sublimation, the process is a form of endothermic process. As this is the process of increasing the speed of the molecules making them move faster.

When heat is removed from a substance, such as in freezing and condensation, then the process is exothermic. This means that the process results in the release of the amount of heat that was initially contained within the substance. This is called exothermic heat transfer.This is an example of how heat is decreasing the speed of the molecules, causing them to become less energetic and move slower.

Experiment to Show Physical Changes

Let us look at some experiments to show physical changes.

Experiment A: Play-Doh

1. Remove the Play-Doh from its container and see how it looks.
2. Break this Play-Doh into numerous small pieces.
3. By breaking into multiple pieces, you have changed its physical state.

Experiment B: Ice

1. Take an ice cube in the empty cleaned bowl. Place the bowl at room temperature.
2. Observe the structure and surface (texture) of the ice.
3. You will notice that the ice cube will start melting and change its physical state into water.

Physical Changes Due to Change in Chemical Composition

When we change the chemical composition of something, it usually comes with physical changes too. 

For example, when we burn wood, we change the chemical composition and the physical appearance of wood. The breakdown of the chemical bonds in the wood releases energy, which makes the fire burn. 

Thus, burning wood is an example of a physical change happening due to a chemical change.

Conclusions

Every day, we witness several changes, including physical changes. A physical change is a change in a material’s physical qualities. Material’s physical attributes include its size, form, texture, colour, temperature, shape, and state of matter. Because no new substance is generated, physical alterations are typically reversible. It is the same material, but its physical qualities have altered. . There is often significant change in the physical properties of the substance undergoing a physical change, which is a characteristic of physical changes.