In which of the following are water molecules in the most disorderly arrangement?
Answer Details
Water molecules are the most disorderly arranged in the gaseous state, i.e., as steam at 100°C. In the gaseous state, water molecules have the highest amount of kinetic energy, and they move randomly in all directions at high speeds, colliding with each other and other molecules in the surroundings. This random motion results in a highly disordered arrangement of water molecules. In contrast, at lower temperatures and higher pressures, water molecules tend to have less kinetic energy and move less randomly, resulting in more orderly arrangements, such as in ice at 0°C or even -10°C.