They are also incompressible due to the high density, i.e. This is due to very strong intermolecular forces of attraction, which also cause the molecules to be very close together.Īs a result, solids often maintain a fixed shape and volume. These molecules vibrate about their fixed positions, but generally do not move from their place. Solid matter contains tightly packed molecules, often in a regular assortment.

The states will be discussed in terms of molecular structure and intermolecular forces. Now that you have a grasp of what ‘matter’ is, we can discuss the three states of matter and how they differ. Following this definition, it is important to note that massless particles like photons are not matter, and neither are energy phenomena like sound or light.

In fact, virtually everything around you, from the air you breathe to the food you eat, can be considered matter.

In a practical sense, anything made of atoms is matter. Matter is a term used to describe any substance that has mass and takes up space, i.e. Why is it that one substance can take so many forms? To answer this question, we need to take a look at the concepts of matter and how particles behave differently in each state. But water can also exist as ice (a solid), and steam (a gas). When you think of water, most people would think of the water that you drink from a cup or the water in the sea. Substances can have wildly different properties based on the state they are in, despite the actual particles themselves remaining unchanged. Depending on the arrangement and movement of the particles within a substance, we classify them as one of three states of matter. Everything in the universe is made of tiny particles, which include atoms, molecules, and ions.

What are the three states of matter