A technician is preparing a heavy-duty steel drum to demonstrate atmospheric pressure. They add a small quantity of water to the open drum and heat it from below using a burner until the water boils vigorously and steam completely fills the drum, displacing the air.
Describe what happens to the mean speed and the mean kinetic energy of the water molecules as the water is heated to its boiling point.
Compare the molecular spacing and the degree of ordering of the molecules in the steam with those in the liquid water.
The technician removes the heat source, immediately seals the drum with a gastight screw cap, and then sprays cold water over the outer surface. The steel drum suddenly implodes. Explain, in terms of the behavior of the molecules and pressure, why the drum implodes.