Solid, liquid, and gas. The three states of matter are all around us. A rock is a solid, the water you drink is a liquid, and the air inside the balloon is filled with gas - but what exactly differentiates the three states of matter? Read to find out!
Important Words To Know:
Matter: anything that takes up space in the universe
Atoms: small, basic units of matter
Solid
The solid state of matter has a fixed volume and shape. The atoms that make up solids are tightly packed together and have no space to move, which means that the matter is dense. Examples of solids in our daily lives include rocks, pencils, and more! The image below shows how the atoms are closely packed together and form a fixed shape with a fixed volume in its container.
Liquid
Water, juice, and milk are common examples of liquid that we see everyday. Liquids have a fixed volume in its container, but no specific shape. The atoms that make up liquids also have a weaker attraction force, which means that they are less dense than a solid, but still more dense than a gas. The image shows how the atoms are less closely packed together and have more space to move compared to a solid.
Gas
The gas state of matter has no fixed shape. It has the weakest attractive force out of all the states of matter, which means it is the least dense. The atoms that make up gases move very fast since they have a lot of space in between each other and its container. The image below depicts how much space the gas atoms have to move around.
Examples of the Three States of Matter
The three states of matter appear in our daily lives even when we don’t notice it. Some substances, like water, can even take the form of all three states. I hope you learned more about solids, liquids, and gases after reading this article! Happy learning.
Additional Fun Worksheets for Extra Practice
Interactive Worksheet:
Bingo Worksheet:
Resources used:
Mott, Vallerie. “Three States of Matter | Introduction to Chemistry.”Three States of Matter | Introduction To Chemistry, courses.lumenlearning.com/introchem/chapter/three-states-of-matter. Accessed 2 June 2020.
“States of Matter.”Science Learning Hub, www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1499-states-of-matter. Accessed 2 June 2020.
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