States of Matter
- The three states of matter are solids, liquids and gases
- A substance can usually exist in all three states, dependent on temperature (and pressure)
- State changes occur at the melting point (solid to liquid, liquid to solid) and at the boiling point (liquid to gas and gas to liquid)
- Melting and freezing occur at the melting point
- Boiling and condensing take place at the boiling point
- Evaporation is also a change of state and occurs at any temperature; the maximum rate of evaporation occurs at the boiling point
- Individual atoms themselves do not share the same properties as bulk matter
- The three states of matter can be represented by a simple model
- In this model, the particles are represented by small solid spheres
Summary of the Properties of Solids, Liquids and Gases