Which of the following represents a strong acid on the pH scale?

Which of the following represents a strong acid on the pH scale?

• A. 7
• B. 3
• C. 10
• D. 14

Answer: (B)

A pH value of 3 indicates an acidic solution, and the lower the pH, the stronger the acid. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, where values less than 7 are considered acidic, values around 7 are neutral, and values greater than 7 are basic (or alkaline). When evaluating the strength of acids, a pH of 3 suggests a relatively high concentration of hydrogen ions (H⁺), which is characteristic of strong acids. For reference, a strong acid like hydrochloric acid (HCl) typically has a pH around 1 to 2 when concentrated. In contrast, a pH of 7 is neutral and represents pure water, while 10 and 14 denote increasingly basic solutions, with pH 14 being the strongest base possible on the scale. Therefore, among the given choices, a pH of 3 clearly demonstrates that it is indicative of a strong acid.

A pH value of 3 indicates an acidic solution, and the lower the pH, the stronger the acid. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, where values less than 7 are considered acidic, values around 7 are neutral, and values greater than 7 are basic (or alkaline).

When evaluating the strength of acids, a pH of 3 suggests a relatively high concentration of hydrogen ions (H⁺), which is characteristic of strong acids. For reference, a strong acid like hydrochloric acid (HCl) typically has a pH around 1 to 2 when concentrated.

In contrast, a pH of 7 is neutral and represents pure water, while 10 and 14 denote increasingly basic solutions, with pH 14 being the strongest base possible on the scale. Therefore, among the given choices, a pH of 3 clearly demonstrates that it is indicative of a strong acid.