Jayden was given a marshmallow and a syringe in class to experiment with. She placed the marshmallow in the syringe and sealed the end. When she depressed the plunger of the syringe what happened to the marshmallow and why?
Responses
A The increased pressure, pushed the molecules closer together, and caused the marshmallow to shrink.The increased pressure, pushed the molecules closer together, and caused the marshmallow to shrink.
B The decreased pressure, pushed the molecules closer together, and caused the marshmallow to shrink.The decreased pressure, pushed the molecules closer together, and caused the marshmallow to shrink.
C The increased pressure, allowed the molecules to spread apart, and caused the marshmallow to grow larger.The increased pressure, allowed the molecules to spread apart, and caused the marshmallow to grow larger.
D The decreased pressure, allowed the molecules to spread apart, and caused the marshmallow to grow larger.
A The increased pressure, pushed the molecules closer together, and caused the marshmallow to shrink.
The correct answer is A: The increased pressure pushed the molecules closer together and caused the marshmallow to shrink.
When Jayden depressed the plunger of the syringe, she increased the pressure inside the syringe. Pressure is a measure of the force exerted on an object per unit area. By depressing the plunger, the volume of air inside the syringe decreases, while the force remains constant. This increase in pressure pushes the air molecules closer together.
The marshmallow, being made up of mostly air-filled spaces, is affected by this increased pressure. The air molecules within the marshmallow also get compressed and pushed closer together. As a result, the marshmallow shrinks in size.
This is similar to what happens when you squeeze a sponge. When you apply pressure to the sponge, the air trapped within its pores gets compressed, causing the sponge to shrink.
Therefore, option A is the correct answer because the increased pressure causes the marshmallow to shrink.