States of matter in our surrounding

 STATES OF MATTER

Matter is everywhere, but you cannot always 

see it. There are four main types, or states, 

of matter—solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. 

Each state is made up of moving particles, 

but they look and behave very differently

SOLID STATE

In solids, the particles are packed together 

so tightly that they vibrate rather than move 

around. Solids can be hard or soft, huge or 

tiny, and everything in between, but they 

always have a fixed shape and volume 

and occupy a definite space

 LIQUID STATE

The particles in a liquid are also close, but 

they are not held together as strongly as in 

a solid, so they can move around. This 

means a liquid has no fixed shape and 

usually takes on the shape of whatever 

container it is in. A liquid has a fixed 

volume, but it varies in thickness, or 

viscosity, which affects how freely 

it can flow.

GASEOUS STATES

The particles in a gas are far apart and 

can move freely, so gases have no fixed 

shape or volume. Gases can be compressed 

(squeezed so the space between the particles 

decreases) or expanded (the space increases) 

to fit a container. Most gases are invisible.

PLASMA

Plasma is rarely seen on 

Earth, but it is found throughout 

the universe. Like a gas, it has no fixed shape 

or volume. However, it contains electrically 

charged particles (see pages 56–57) and exists 

only under certain conditions, such as in places 

with high temperatures or radiation. Streams 

of plasma can be seen in this plasma lamp