1. given the distribution of charges shown in this
water molecule, why is it called "polar"?
type your answer here.

A polar molecule simply means the charges are not exactly even throughout the molecule. Some parts are slightly negative (outside the oxygen), and some parts are slightly positive (outside the hydrogen atoms). Water is polar because the highly electronegative oxygen atom attracts electrons to it, making the region around the oxygen more negative than the areas around the two hydrogen atoms. This concept is important to understand how water bonds.