Reset ↻ the simulator after you’ve had a play around, set temperature to low, and press ► play

How would you describe the movement of the water molecules in this simulation?
Clicking Trace random molecule might help.

Question

Reset ↻ the simulator after you’ve had a play around, set temperature to low, and press ► play

How would you describe the movement of the water molecules in this simulation?
Clicking Trace random molecule might help.

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

First, let's restate the question and options to frame what we're evaluating: the prompt asks how water molecules move in a simulation when temperature is set to low and the dye molecules and gradient conditions are present.
Option 1: 'Dye molecules want to move to areas of low concentration.' This phrasing implies intention or goal-directed behavior, which is anthropomorphic and not how diffusion is described in physical chemistry. Diffusion results from random molecular motion, not a purposeful desire to reach low concentration, so this portrayal is misleading.
Option 2: 'The system "spends" energy to move the dye molecules from high concentration to low concentration.' Here, energy expenditure describes active processes. In a simple diffusion scenario without external input (passive diffusion), molecules move due to thermal energy without the system actively investing energy to transport dye from high to low concentration. This makes the statement incorrect for a typical diffusion simulation unless an active transport mechanism is explicitly introduced.
Option 3: 'Dye molecules are moving because there is a concentration gradient introduced.' A gradient can drive net flux in diffusion, but the movement is still the result of random thermal motion of individual molecules rather than a deliberate push along the gradient. This option mixes accurate cause (a gradient exists) with a potentially misleading emphasis on the mechanism being a directed movement, which oversimplifies how diffusion arises at the molecular level.
Option 4: 'They're just bouncing around randomly in any and all directions.' This describes the fundamental behavior of molecules undergoing Brownian motion, where particles move due to random collisions and thermal energy, producing diffusion as a net effect. Even at low temperature, molecules still exhibit random motion; the lack of directional intent and the emphasis on random bouncing align with the standard explanation of diffusion in many simulations.
In summary, the first option assigns intentionality that diffusion does not have; the second describes active transport that is not implied by passive diffusion; the third acknowledges a gradient but implies directed motion along that gradient, which mischaracterizes the microscopic mechanism; the fourth accurately reflects the random, nondirected motion that leads to diffusion in a typical molecular simulation. The statement in option 4 most consistently matches the standard description of molecular movement under these conditions.

AGRI10050_2025_SM1 W4 Prep: Diffusing molecules (5-10min)

Reset ↻ the simulator after you’ve had a play around, set temperature to low, and press ► play How would you describe the movement of the water molecules in this simulation? Clicking Trace random molecule might help.

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