New Hampshire NH SAS Science Grade 8 Practice Questions - New Hampshire Statewide Assessment System Science - Grade 8 Exam

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A student places a small piece of steel wool on a digital balance and reads 5.00 g. After burning the steel wool in air, the gray wool becomes black and brittle, and the balance now reads 5.80 g. Which statement best explains why the mass increased?

The fire created new matter from the flame, adding mass to the wool. Oxygen from the air combined with the iron in the steel wool to form iron oxide, increasing the total mass. The heat caused the atoms in the steel wool to expand so each atom weighed more. The black coating is ash, which is lighter than steel, so the reading must be wrong.

Correct Answer:

Oxygen from the air combined with the iron in the steel wool to form iron oxide, increasing the total mass.

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