Which term describes a change that alters the form or appearance of matter but does not create a new substance?

Which term describes a change that alters the form or appearance of matter but does not create a new substance?

• A. Chemical change
• B. Observation
• C. Physical change
• D. Phase change

Answer: (C)

When matter changes its form or appearance without becoming a new substance, the change is physical. In a physical change, the material’s identity stays the same—you’re just altering how it looks or how it’s arranged, not what it is. For example, ice turning into water changes from solid to liquid and looks different, but it’s still H2O. A chemical change would form a new substance with different properties, like metal rusting into a different compound. A phase change is a kind of physical change that specifically involves changing state (solid, liquid, gas), but the overall idea described here is best captured by physical change.

When matter changes its form or appearance without becoming a new substance, the change is physical. In a physical change, the material’s identity stays the same—you’re just altering how it looks or how it’s arranged, not what it is. For example, ice turning into water changes from solid to liquid and looks different, but it’s still H2O. A chemical change would form a new substance with different properties, like metal rusting into a different compound. A phase change is a kind of physical change that specifically involves changing state (solid, liquid, gas), but the overall idea described here is best captured by physical change.