States of Matter 3

​States of Matter

By JENNIFER MEDLOCK

The striking blue walls in this photo are actually the sheer ice walls of a massive glacier. The glacier in the picture is in Argentina, and the bluish water in the foreground is Lake Argentina. The photo represents an important concept in physical science. Can you guess what it is?

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​States of Matter

The photo above represents water in three common states of matter. States of matter are different phases in which any given type of matter can exist. There are actually four well-known states of matter: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Plasma isn’t represented in the iceberg photo, but the other three states of matter are. The iceberg itself consists of water in the solid state, and the lake consists of water in the liquid state.

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​Water, Water, Everywhere

Multiple Choice

Where is water in the gaseous state in the above photo?

• water vapor in the sky

• in the ocean

• in the iceberg

Open Ended

Water is one of the few substances that commonly exist on Earth in more than one state. Many other substances typically exist only in the solid, liquid, or gaseous state. Can you think of examples of matter that usually exists in just one of these three states?

​Phases are Physical

A given kind of matter has the same chemical makeup and the same chemical properties regardless of its state. That’s because state of matter is a physical property. As a result, when matter changes state, it doesn’t become a different kind of substance. For example, water is still water whether it exists as ice, liquid water, or water vapor.

Properties of Solids, Liquids, and Gases

The most common states of matter on Earth are solids, liquids, and gases. How do these states of matter differ? Their properties are contrasted in the picture.

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Properties of Solids, Liquids, and Gases

States of Matter Summary

Go to the next available page in your notebook and title it "States of Matter Summary" and copy down these notes.

• States of matter are different phases in which any given type of matter can exist. There are four well-known states of matter—solid, liquid, gas, and plasma—but only the first three states are common on Earth.

• State of matter is a physical property of matter. A given kind of matter has the same chemical makeup and the same chemical properties, regardless of state.

• Solids have a fixed volume and a fixed shape. Liquids have a fixed volume but take the shape of their container. Gases take both the volume and the shape of their container.