States of Matter
- There are three common states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas.
- Solids: The atoms or molecules of a solid often form a crystal pattern
[geometrically symmetrical packing of particles]. The atoms or molecules are
generally spaced as closely as possible and vibrate in place. Because of this
close packing, solids can’t be significantly compressed either
- Liquids: The atoms or molecules of a liquid are also generally spaced
as closely as possible. However, the atoms or molecules tend not to stay in
one place. They slide by each other allowing the liquid to conform to its
container. Because of this close packing, liquids can’t be significantly
compressed.
- Gasses: Gasses have, comparatively, a great deal of space between
their atoms or molecules. Because there is so much empty space between gas
molecules, the volume of gasses can be significantly compressed, moving the
molecules closer together. If you compress a gas enough you can form a liquid.
This is, in fact, how many "gasses" are stored, because a very large
amount of gas can be compressed into a small volume. Gasses generally take
up 1000 times the volume of that same substance in the liquid state.