States Of Matter
Páginas: 4 (847 palabras)
Publicado: 1 de octubre de 2012
STATES OF MATTER
Anything that has mass is made up of matter (atoms and molecules).
We describe this matter as existing in states (sometimes referred to as phases).
Read your book page 40 andthe next text and highlight or underline the main ideas.
STATES OF MATTER
Most people are familiar with three states of matter – solids, liquids and gases – but there are two more that are lesscommonly known but just as important – plasmas and Bose-Einstein condensates.
It is important to understand the particle nature of matter. The particles that make up matter are not ‘small bits of solid’or ‘small drops of liquid’ but atoms and molecules. The physical characteristics of those atoms and molecules decide its state.
Solid
Something is usually described as a solid if it can hold itsown shape and is hard to compress (squash). The molecules in a solid are closely packed together – they have a high density.
Right now, you are probably sitting on a chair, using a mouse or a keyboardthat is resting on a desk – all those things are solids.
Liquid
In liquids, the molecules are less densely packed, giving them the ability to move around and slide past each other. A liquid willtake on the shape of the container it is being held in. While a liquid is easier to compress than a solid, it is still quite difficult – imagine trying to compress water in a confined container!
Wateris an example of a liquid, and so is milk, juice and the petrol you put in the car.
Gas
In gases, the atoms are much more spread out than in solids or liquids, and the atoms collide randomly withone another. A gas will fill any container, but if the container is not sealed, the gas will escape. Gas can be compressed much more easily than a liquid or solid.
Right now, you are breathing in air– a mixture of gases containing many elements such as oxygen, nitrogen and carbon.
Plasma
Plasma is very similar to gas; In fact, the easiest way to describe plasma is as a gas that can carry an...
Anything that has mass is made up of matter (atoms and molecules).
We describe this matter as existing in states (sometimes referred to as phases).
Read your book page 40 andthe next text and highlight or underline the main ideas.
STATES OF MATTER
Most people are familiar with three states of matter – solids, liquids and gases – but there are two more that are lesscommonly known but just as important – plasmas and Bose-Einstein condensates.
It is important to understand the particle nature of matter. The particles that make up matter are not ‘small bits of solid’or ‘small drops of liquid’ but atoms and molecules. The physical characteristics of those atoms and molecules decide its state.
Solid
Something is usually described as a solid if it can hold itsown shape and is hard to compress (squash). The molecules in a solid are closely packed together – they have a high density.
Right now, you are probably sitting on a chair, using a mouse or a keyboardthat is resting on a desk – all those things are solids.
Liquid
In liquids, the molecules are less densely packed, giving them the ability to move around and slide past each other. A liquid willtake on the shape of the container it is being held in. While a liquid is easier to compress than a solid, it is still quite difficult – imagine trying to compress water in a confined container!
Wateris an example of a liquid, and so is milk, juice and the petrol you put in the car.
Gas
In gases, the atoms are much more spread out than in solids or liquids, and the atoms collide randomly withone another. A gas will fill any container, but if the container is not sealed, the gas will escape. Gas can be compressed much more easily than a liquid or solid.
Right now, you are breathing in air– a mixture of gases containing many elements such as oxygen, nitrogen and carbon.
Plasma
Plasma is very similar to gas; In fact, the easiest way to describe plasma is as a gas that can carry an...
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