The Three States of Matter
IGCSE Chemistry 0620 - Topic 1.1.1
The Story of Matter
Imagine you're a movie director filming three different crowds. In Scene 1, you have an army formation - soldiers standing in perfect rows, barely moving, just marching on the spot. That's a SOLID.
In Scene 2, you film a dance floor mosh pit - people are packed together, touching each other, but sliding and tumbling all over the place. That's a LIQUID.
In Scene 3, you've released angry bees into a jar - they're flying everywhere, far apart, bouncing off walls, complete chaos. That's a GAS.
SOLID
Shape: Fixed (doesn't change)
Volume: Fixed (doesn't change)
Particles: Touching, regular lattice, vibrating
Compressible: ✗ No
LIQUID
Shape: Changes (takes container shape)
Volume: Fixed (doesn't change)
Particles: Touching, random, sliding
Compressible: ✗ No
GAS
Shape: Changes (fills container)
Volume: Changes (fills container)
Particles: Far apart, random, fast
Compressible: ✓ Yes
🔑 Key Concept
The difference between solids, liquids, and gases isn't about the particles themselves - it's about how close together they are, how they're arranged, and how they move. A water molecule in ice, liquid water, or steam is exactly the same particle - it's just behaving differently!
Keep reading — this lesson marks itself done automatically.