Is salad dressing a solution or suspension?

* Solutions are homogeneous mixtures where one substance (the solute) is dissolved completely into another (the solvent). The particles of the solute are too small to be seen and will not settle out.

* Suspensions are heterogeneous mixtures where particles of one substance are dispersed throughout another but are not dissolved. The particles are larger and can be seen, and they will eventually settle out over time.

Salad dressing usually contains ingredients like oil, vinegar, and spices. The oil and vinegar don't mix evenly, and the oil droplets will eventually separate and rise to the top. This separation indicates that the mixture is a suspension.

Note: Some salad dressings, like creamy dressings that use emulsifiers, might be more complex and could be considered a colloid. Colloids are mixtures with particles that are larger than those in a solution but smaller than those in a suspension. They don't settle out as quickly as suspensions.