AFOQT Practice Test

Which types of changes can matter undergo?

1. Physical and Chemical changes

2. Biological and Physical changes

3. Chemical and Electrical changes

4. Thermal and Mechanical changes

The correct answer is: Physical and Chemical changes

Matter can undergo various types of changes, primarily classified as physical and chemical changes. Physical changes involve alterations in the state or appearance of matter without changing its chemical composition. For instance, melting ice into water is a physical change; the substance remains H2O, simply transitioning from solid to liquid. Chemical changes, on the other hand, involve transformations that result in the formation of new substances with different chemical properties. An example of this would be iron rusting, where oxygen reacts with iron to form iron oxide, a completely different substance. The other options either include types of changes that are not valid categories for matter or combine concepts that do not directly pertain to the fundamental transformations of matter itself. Biological changes refer to processes in living organisms and are not a fundamental category for all matter. Similarly, electrical, thermal, and mechanical changes describe specific conditions or types of energy rather than distinct changes matter can undergo.