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Mixing pH

Age 16 to 18
Challenge Level Yellow star
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”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹The pH of a solution is defined using logarithms as

$$
pH = -\log_{10}[H^+],
$$
where $[H^+]$ is the concentration of $H^+$ ions in mol/l of the solution.
 

 

  • Given that the pH of a beaker of pure water is 7, work out how many $H^+$ ions there are in 1 litre of the water.
  • A strong acid has a pH of 2. If one litre of this acid is diluted with 1 litre of water, what is the pH of the resulting solution?
  • A strong acid has a pH of 1.3. If I have 100ml of this acid, how much water needs to be added to create a solution of pH 2?
  • 400ml of an acid of pH 3 is added to 300ml of an acid of pH 4. What is the resulting pH?

 

Make up some of your own mixing pH questions. For example:

 

  • If I start with $1$ litre of acid of pH $1$, what happens to the pH each time I add $100$ml of water? What sort of curve results?
  • Is it the case that when mixing two solutions, the resulting pH is always between the pH of the two initial solutions?

 

 

 

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The NRICH Project aims to enrich the mathematical experiences of all learners. To support this aim, members of the NRICH team work in a wide range of capacities, including providing professional development for teachers wishing to embed rich mathematical tasks into everyday classroom practice.

NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.

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