When water turns from a liquid to a gas on the surface of a sidewalk, which type of change does it undergo?

• A. Biological change
• B. Chemical change
• C. Nuclear change
• D. Physical change

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the types of changes: A physical change affects the form of a substance but not its chemical composition, while a chemical change results in the formation of new substances with different properties.
2. Identify the process described: Water turning from liquid to gas is evaporation, which involves a change in the state of matter but not in the chemical identity of water (H\_2O).
3. Recognize that during evaporation, the molecules of water gain enough energy to move from the liquid phase to the gas phase without breaking or forming chemical bonds.
4. Conclude that since the chemical composition of water remains the same and only its physical state changes, this is a physical change.
5. Note that biological changes involve living organisms, chemical changes involve new substances, and nuclear changes involve changes in the nucleus of atoms, none of which apply here.