Answer the following questions briefly:
Riya takes three identical syringes. She fills one with air, another with water, and the third with small solid beads. She closes the openings and pushes the plungers with equal force. The plunger moves inward most easily in the syringe containing air, slightly in the syringe containing water, and hardly at all in the syringe containing solid beads.
1. Why can air be compressed more easily than water?
2. If the air-filled syringe is released after compression, what would most likely happen?
3. Which state of matter is generally the least compressible?
4. Which statement best explains why gases can be compressed more readily than liquids or solids?