States of Matter and Particle Motion

Curriculum Standard S8P1.b Develop and use models to describe the movement of particles in solids, liquids, gases, and plasma states when thermal energy is added or removed. 

Matter Matter is anything that has mass and volume. There are four main phases of matter. They are solid, liquid, and gas and plasma.

States of Matter The state of matter is determined by the movement of particles within the matter.

Particle Motion of Solids The particles in solids don’t move much, but they do vibrate slightly. Notice how the solid maintains its shape in the container. There are two basic types of particle arrangement in solids.

Crystalline vs. Amorphous Solids Crystalline Solids The particles in a crystalline solid are arranged in a repeating pattern. Amorphous Solids The particles in an amorphous solid are arranged randomly.

Particle Motion of Liquids The particles in liquids can slide past one another, but are still strongly attracted to each other. As you can see, a liquid will take the shape of its container.

Can you make a paperclip float on water? This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Particle Motion of Liquids Surface tension is the attraction of molecules to one another in a liquid.

Particle Motion of Gases Gas particles move fast and strike one another. Gases spread out to fill their container. What does this tell you about their shape and volume?

Particle Motion of Plasma https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94tReSbyPYc