Joylee Taylor

· 16 Nov 2021

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What is Matter?

There are several meanings of matter. Matter is the scientific word for any form of material. Matter is defined as everything that has mass and occupies space. Matter requires at least one subatomic particle, while most matter is made up of atoms. The term matter is occasionally used to refer to a pure material.

Three states of matter.

In most situations, matter may exist in three distinct physical forms: solid, liquid, and gas. Other states such as plasma, Bose-Einstein condensates, and neutron stars may be present in extreme conditions. It is also thought that other states, such as quark-gluon plasmas, are feasible. Hot plasma in the form of rarefied interstellar medium and dense stars makes up a large portion of the universe’s atomic stuff.

Originally, matter states were separated by qualitative distinctions in their bulk qualities. Solid matter has a fixed volume and form; liquid matter conforms to the shape of its container but changes in volume only considerably; and gas matter expands to encompass the volume and shape of its container. Each of these three classical states of matter can instantly transform into either of the other two.

Solids.

The particles of a solid are tightly packed together. The interactions between the particles are so intense that the particles can only vibrate; they cannot move freely. As a result, a solid has a consistent, distinct shape and volume. Solids can only change shape when subjected to force, such as when shattered or chopped.

Particles in crystalline materials are packed in a regular, repeating pattern. There are several crystal formations, and the same material can have multiple configurations. Each of ice’s fifteen known crystal forms exists at a distinct temperature and pressure.

Liquids.
A liquid is a fluid that adapts to the shape of its container while maintaining almost constant volume regardless of pressure. If the temperature and pressure remain constant, the volume is definite (doesn’t fluctuate). When a solid is heated to its melting point, the pressure exceeds the triple point of the substance, causing it to become liquid.

Although intermolecular (or interatomic or interionic) forces remain essential, the molecules have enough energy to move about, making the structure mobile. This indicates that the shape of a liquid is not fixed, but rather adapts to the geometry of its container. Its volume is often larger than that of the comparable solid (water is a well-known exception to this rule). The critical temperature of a liquid is the greatest temperature at which it can exist.

Gases.
Because gas molecules have either very weak or no bonding, they may travel freely and fast. As a result, a gas will not only adapt to the geometry of its container, but it will also expand to entirely fill the container. Gas molecules have enough kinetic energy that the influence of intermolecular interactions is minor (or nil in the case of a perfect gas), and they are quite far away from each other; the usual distance between nearby molecules is substantially higher than the size of the molecules themselves.

A vapor is a gas that is at a temperature lower than its critical temperature. Without cooling, a vapor can be liquefied by compression. It can also be in equilibrium with a liquid (or solid), in which case the gas pressure matches the liquid's vapor pressure (or solid).

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