Physical Change
A physical change affects the appearance or state of a substance but does not change its chemical structure.
Key features:
No new substance is formed
Often reversible
Involves changes in size, shape, or state (solid, liquid, gas)
Examples in plants:
Water evaporating from leaves (transpiration)
Fruit becoming softer
Leaf folding due to touch (like in a Mimosa plant)
Chemical Change
A chemical change forms one or more new substances with different properties.
Key features:
New substance is formed
Usually irreversible
Involves a chemical reaction and energy changes
Examples in plants:
Photosynthesis (carbon dioxide and water turning into glucose and oxygen)
Fruit ripening (starch turns into sugar, color and aroma compounds are formed)
Leaf decay (decomposition by microbes)
what kind of change is growth? explain in your own words.