Phases of Matter

First, before we start talking about the three phases of matter we should tell you what matter is.

Matter: That of which everything is made; anything that takes up space and has mass

Basicly, everything is made of matter. The iced tea you're sipping, the chair you're sitting in, the air you breathe, it's all matter. Matter comes in every imaginable shape, size, and color.

What is matter, though. Matter is made up of tiny particles. These particles are unbelievably small. They are called molecules .Now let's say you have a piece of matter, some gold for example, and you crushed that gold into the finest powder. It would still be gold. The molecules of gold are the smallest existing particles that have all the properties of gold.

Molecules aren't the smallest things in the universe, however. Something has to make up the molecules. These things are called atoms. Are atoms the smallest things around? No. Something has to make up the atom. There are three particles called protons, neutrons, and electrons.

Now let's go over this. When you put protons, neutrons, and electrons together you get atoms. When you put atoms together you get molecules. When you put molecules together you get things like gold, or clouds, or your little sister.

The way molecules are grouped together is very important. An object's phase depends on how its molecules are grouped together. If they are packed closely and have a definite form, then it's a solid. If they don't have a definite form, and aren't close, it's a liquid. If there's no form and the molecules are all over the place, it's a gas.

Where to now?

SolidsLiquidsGases