States of Matter

fact about a solid

A fixed, closely packed arrangement of particles causes a solid to have a definite shape and volume.

fact about a liquid

A liquid can flow from place to place. for this reason, a liquid is also called a fluid, meaning a substance that flows.

fact about a gas

As they move, gas particles spread apart, filling all the space available. Like liquids, gasses are fluids. Breathing demonstrates that gasses are fluids because while you are breathing, gasses in the air flow freely through the body and back out again.

fact about liquid shape and volume

Because its particles are free to move, a liquid has no definite shape; however it has a definite volume (you can't compress or expand a liquid).

What is a gas?

Gasses have indefinite shape and indefinite volume. Unlike solids and liquids, a gas can change volume very easily (expands when heated and shrinks when cooled). The particles of a gas move freely at high speeds in all directions.

states of matter

Matter can be classified as a solid, a liquid, or a gas. These 3 states of matter are determined mainly by the way they hold their shape and volume.

particles in a solid

Particles that make up a solid are packed very closely together and each particle is tightly fixed in one position. The particles in a solid aren't completely motionless. The particles vibrate and move back and forth slightly.

particles in a liquid

The particles in a liquid are packed almost as closely as a solid , however, the particles in a liquid move around one another freely. (like a group of marbles in a container)

definite shape

Unchanging shape (something keeps its own shape no matter what container it is in)

indefinite shape

changing shape (something changes to the shape of its container)

indefinite volume

changing volume (the amount of space something takes up changes depending on the size of the container it is in, pressure, and/or temperature changes)

solid

has a definite shape and a definite volume

liquids

has a definite volume but no shape of its own (indefinite shape). A liquid takes on the shape of the container. Without a container, a liquid will spread into a wide shallow puddle.

definite volume

unchanging volume (the amount of space something takes up does NOT change based on the size of its container, pressure applied, or other factors)