Which type of property depends on the mass of the sample?

Which type of property depends on the mass of the sample?

• A. Intensive Property
• B. Extensive Property
• C. Specific Volume
• D. Phase Property

Answer: (B)

Properties that scale with how much material you have are called extensive properties. If you double the amount of substance, an extensive property doubles as well because it depends directly on mass or quantity. In this question, the property that changes with the amount of material is the extensive one, since it would grow in proportion to how much sample you possess. By contrast, intensive properties do not change with the amount of material. Specific volume, for example, is volume per unit mass, so it remains the same regardless of how much sample you have. Phase-related characteristics like melting or boiling points are intrinsic to the substance and its state, not the amount, so they’re not dependent on sample mass.

Properties that scale with how much material you have are called extensive properties. If you double the amount of substance, an extensive property doubles as well because it depends directly on mass or quantity. In this question, the property that changes with the amount of material is the extensive one, since it would grow in proportion to how much sample you possess.

By contrast, intensive properties do not change with the amount of material. Specific volume, for example, is volume per unit mass, so it remains the same regardless of how much sample you have. Phase-related characteristics like melting or boiling points are intrinsic to the substance and its state, not the amount, so they’re not dependent on sample mass.