Three States of Matter - by Jacob Eapen

Three States of Matter

The three states of matter are solid, liquid, and gas. Solid has firmness and has an already fixed shape, and coins, salt, and nails are few examples. Liquid is between the stage of solid and gas, and has no specific shape and does not expand. Examples of liquid is the water and gasoline. Gas is a vapor, and has no specific shape or volume. Examples of gas is steam and air. There is also a fourth state of matter which is plasma. Plasma is created when gas is heated to 50,000 degrees Celsius, and examples of plasmas is fluorescent lamps and lightening.

The terms used for when matter changes is melting, evaporating, condensing, and freezing. Melting is when matter changes from solid to liquid, and evaporation happens when liquid changes to gas. Condensation is when gas changes to liquid, and freezing is when liquid changes into solid. The temperature that water, needs to evaporate is 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit), and the temperature for water to freeze is 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit). If an ice cube is solid and the heat begins to rise it will soon change into a liquid and then a gas if the temperature is high enough.

When water is a solid its molecules are moving slower because there is less heat, but as water changes to liquid and then gas its molecules move faster because there is more heat. The form of energy needed to change matter is heat.