Chemistry · Matter
States of Matter
Everything is made of tiny particles that are always moving. How much they move decides whether something is a solid, a liquid or a gas.
- State
- 🧊 Solid
- Particle motion
- vibrating in place
Try this
- Start cold. How do the particles move in a solid?
- Heat slowly. When do the particles start sliding past each other?
- Keep heating until they fill the whole box. Which state is this?
- Now cool it down again. Do the particles come back together?
Key ideas
- Solid: particles packed closely, vibrating in fixed places.
- Liquid: particles close together but able to move past each other.
- Gas: particles far apart, moving fast and filling their container.
- Heating gives particles more energy; cooling takes energy away.