In particular, several particle detectors rely on phase transitions. Phase transitions often occur in nature, but they are also used in many technologies. Hence, plasma is a gas of free electrons and ions. Here, some of the orbital electrons are not bound to atoms or molecules anymore. A state of matter with very high energy is plasma. For example, a liquid such as water starts becoming a gas when it is heated to its boiling point or starts to freeze when it is cooled to its freezing point. When external conditions (such as temperature or pressure) change, the state of matter might change as well. In this lesson, we shall look at the behavior and states of Matter - Solids, Liquids, and Gases, which are known as the three states of matter.Matter occurs in different states: solid, liquid, gaseous and plasma. What does the arrangement of molecules in matter look like?

The illustration below is an idea of how atoms, molecules, and ions in matter look like under a microscope. Solids, liquids, and gases are all made up of tiny stuff that the naked eye cannot see, called atoms, molecules, and/or ions. Their individual properties are held together (bonded) and the strength of the bonds determine why the cup cannot flow (like water) or why air (gas) can be compressed.īut what are their individual properties made of? It is because of the individual properties that they are made up of. How and why does the cup, water, or air feel and behave the way they do? Different things of matter behave differently. The boy’s cup, liquid, and the air he is blowing is matter. He blows air into the bubble wand, trapping air (gas) in a thin film of the solution. He is holding a cup with some bubble solution in it. Thinking about it, everything on earth has weight and takes up space, and that means everything on earth is matter. For anything to occupy space, it must-have volume.

Matter is anything, such as a solid, liquid, or gas, that has weight (mass) and occupies space.

What is matter made of