What is solids and liquids

It is the only metal we know of that is liquid at room temperature. Mercury also has an ability to stick to itself surface tension — a property all liquids exhibit. Mercury has a relatively high surface tension, which makes it very unique.

Here you see mercury in its common liquid form. Gases have the following characteristics:. Solids are defined by the following characteristics:. As you can see in the video, mercury can be solidified when its temperature is brought to its freezing point.

However, when returned to room temperature conditions, mercury does not exist in solid state for long, and returns back to its more common liquid form.

Use the web site to answer the following questions:. Skip to main content. Matter and Change. Search for:. Explain differences among these three phases of matter. Figure 2. If atoms are like LEGO blocks, molecules are the structures you build with them. The physical characteristics of atoms and molecules decide the form or state the matter is in.

Right now, you are probably sitting on a chair, using a mouse or a keyboard that is resting on a desk — all these things are solids. Something is usually described as a solid if it can hold its own shape and is hard to compress squash. The particles in most solids are closely packed together. Even though the particles are locked into place and cannot move or slide past each other, they still vibrate a tiny bit. Ice is water in its solid form or state. Ice keeps its shape when frozen, even if it is removed from its container.

However, ice is different from most solids: its molecules are less densely packed than in liquid water. This is why ice floats. The simplest way to determine if something is a liquid is to ask this question: If I try and move it from one container to another i. If you have a glass of water and pour it into another glass, it clearly conforms — it takes on the shape of the glass. If you spill the water, it will go everywhere. In most liquids, the particles are less densely packed, giving them the ability to move around and slide past each other.

While a liquid is easier to compress than a solid, it is still quite difficult — imagine trying to compress water in a confined container! Water is an example of a liquid, and so are milk, juice and lemonade.

Find out more about water by looking at our wide range of resources under the water topic. The atoms and molecules in gases are much more spread out than in solids or liquids. They vibrate and move freely at high speeds. A gas is a form of matter that does not have a defined shape or volume. Gases expand to fill the space they are given.

Depending on the temperature and pressure, the matter may transition from one state into another:. Increasing pressure and decreasing temperature forces atoms and molecules closer to each other so their arrangement becomes more ordered.

Gases become liquids; liquids become solids. On the other hand, increasing temperature and decreasing pressure allows particles to move father apart. Solids become liquids; liquids become gases. Depending on the conditions, a substance may skip a phase, so a solid may become a gas or a gas may become a solid without experiencing the liquid phase. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile.

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