States of Matter

States of Matter

Matter commonly exits in one of three states of matter, solid, liquid and gas. A solid sample, such as ice, will melt into a liquid and the boil into gas if the temperature is increased enough. Similarly a gas can be cooled into a liquid and then a solid. Some substances can transition directly between solid and gas states under certain conditions.

Solid

• Typical state of matter at the coldest temperature.

• Solids hold their shape and have a relatively fixed volume

• Particles are close together and in a fixed pattern

• Low particle movement

  • Particles within solids are typically held in a fixed arrangement but can vibrate

Liquid

• Typical state of matter at moderate temperatures

• Liquids will adopt the shape of their container and have a relatively fixed volume

• Particles are close together but can move around randomly. In other words they are not locked into a pattern like with solids.

• Moderate particle movement

  • Particles within liquids have the ability to move around, but remain adjacent to other liquid particles

Gas

• Typical state of matter at the highest temperatures

• Gases will expand to fill the shape of the container they are in. Additionally the are compressible. In other words the volume of gases is variable.

• Gas particles are far apart and separated by relatively large distances. Particles move randomly throughout the container.

• High particle movement

  • Gas particles are allowed to move virtually independently of one another. The space between particles is significantly greater in gases compared to the space between particles in liquids or solids.

  • In addition to internal vibrations, gas particles are typically moving within the container (imagine ping pong balls bounding around in a box)

Image of states of mater