Solids liquids and gases

Welcome! I am so excited to dive into the world of solids, liquids, and gases with you today.

Before we get our hands dirty with the science, I would love to learn a little more about you so I can make this lesson as helpful as possible.

I am learning this for a school science class.

It is great to have you here! Since you are getting ready for a school science class, we will make sure you master this topic so you can ace your next quiz or test. Let's look at the game plan for our session today so you know exactly what to expect.

Your path

Deep Dive into Solids

Deep Dive into Liquids

Deep Dive into Gases

Changing States of Matter

To kick things off, let's start at the very beginning: What actually is ? In science, we define matter as anything that has mass and takes up space (which we call volume). Think of it this way: a tiny grain of sand, your science textbook, the water you drink, and even the invisible air you are breathing right now are all made of matter because they all have some weight and occupy a physical space.

Learning experience

Now that we know matter is anything that has mass and takes up space, let's look at the three most common states it can take: solids, liquids, and gases.

The easiest way to understand the difference between these states is to look at their shape and volume, which are determined by how their tiny internal behave:

Solids have a fixed shape and a fixed volume. A rock stays a rock no matter what container you put it in because its particles are tightly locked in place.
Liquids have a fixed volume but no fixed shape. If you pour 100 milliliters of water from a tall glass into a wide bowl, it is still 100 milliliters of water, but it flows to take the shape of the bowl.
Gases have no fixed shape and no fixed volume. They will expand or compress to completely fill whatever container they are in, just like air filling a balloon.

The microscopic arrangement of molecules in a solid, liquid, and gas.

I've started generating an interactive diagram above to show you exactly how these tiny particles behave differently in each state.

Before we dive deeper into each state, would you like to explore how particles behave in a solid first, or would you prefer to test your memory with a quick question?