Question

When water boils, some of its particles have enough energy to overcome attractive forces from neighboring particles. Where do the particles get their energy from?

Answer 1

the water container

Answer 2

their velocity

Answer 3

velocity is simply square-root of energy. One cannot get something from something. it is like:
Where do you get your wealth from ? - From my dollars you know...

Answer 4

or is my welth derived from my wallet ?

Answer 5

Again consider the following " answers" -NOT
Example 1: Given y = 2*(o.5y) where does y gets its increase ? Answer: from the half-y in the brackets.
Example 2: The area of my field is 500meters* 500 meters. If I buy another piece of land from my capital, which increases both the width of the field twice and the length of it twice, where does the increase of area come from ? COmpare:

@UnkleRhaukus 's answer: the increase come from the width and length increase
@Mikael ' s answer: The increase come from the invested OTHER form of things - from capital invested.

Answer 6

When people ask "Where does it COME FROM ?" the ask about
THE SOURCE OF THE PHENOMENON, not another equivalent measure of the same PHENOMENON.

Your answer is like:
When the child grows where does he take the increase height from ?
Your Answer: from the centimeters of course !

Answer 7

By the way - you actually strengthened my point by your "wallet". Of course the wealth does NOT come from wallet. It comes from OTHER SOURCES OF MONEY.
- Where does the energy of molecules come from - of course NOT from the square root of this energy.
IT COMES FROM OTHER SOURCES - THE CONTAINER COOLS TRANSFERRING ITS ENERGY TO THE MOLECULES ! [ the wallet as we all know does not TRANSFER money to it's inside !]

Answer 8

The question states:
"When water boils, some of its particles have enough energy to overcome attractive forces from neighboring particles. Where do the particles get their energy from?"

When you boil water, you are adding energy to the container...so the increase in energy comes from an external source (stove, microwave, etc).

@Mikael: Why would the container be cooling if you're boiling water?

Answer 9

Look Shane - in school/colledge problems you should assume the minimum which MUST be true in reasonable situation.
So what MUST be true here ?
ANswer : Direct contact between liquid and its container.
What is the MOST COMMON way to heat liquids ?
ANSWER: Heating the metal or glass or other CONTAINER.
NOW THE PUNCHLINE:
WHAT OBJECT TRANSFERS HEAT (Energy) DIRECTLY TO THE LIQUID ?
ANSWER : CONTAINER.

CAn you extend the "chain" - yes but you lose the clarity. Why not extend it to the Sun (or Big Bang) since on Earth most energy has its origin in the Sun (this is serious). Answer - Occam's razor. The direct donor of energy is container.

Well transfer of Heat is possible only when there is a differnce in Temperature. This diference is reduced by transfer.

If there is another source - like fire , heat IS replenished. If not - the source in container cools down. Cooling was only mentioned TO SEPARATE THIS CASE from wallet. The wallet

Answer 10

cannot transfer - because it has no dollars in its material

Answer 11

I see your point. I looked at this problem being a typical thermodynamics question in which the container and the water are "the system". The *source* of the increase in energy to that system is external. You're looking at it differently...which is fine.

It probably doesn't matter though. I've seen this exact question before and I suspect the original poster didn't list the the answer choices:

A.) increase in temperature ONLY
B.) increase in pressure ONLY
C.) decrease in pressure ONLY
D.) both a and c