Everything you need to teach states of matter

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From particle diagrams to properties through the phase changes, here’s everything your 11–14 learners need to understand about states of matter

A diagram showing how gas, liquid and solid are formed and the terms for transitions between the states.

Source: © Dan Bright

Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. Everything around us is made of matter and there are three states of matter – solid, liquid and gas. Particle diagrams explain the properties of solids, liquids and gases and they show how the particles are arranged.

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EiC Infographic-states of matter-5-Solid

Source: © Dan Bright

EiC Infographic-states of matter-3-liquid

Source: © Dan Bright

Source: © Dan Bright

A solid has a defined shape and volume. The particles are touching and vibrating

A liquid has a defined volume but not a defined shape. The particles are touching and moving randomly

A gas has no defined shape or volume. The particles move randomly and have a large distance between them

Properties of states of matter

	Solid	Liquid	Gas
Shape	fixed	takes shape of the bottom of the container	takes shape of container
Volume	fixed (cannot be compressed)	fixed (cannot be compressed)	can be compressed
Particle movement	can vibrate in place but cannot move out of position	constantly moving and can slide over each other	constantly moving
Kinetic energy	low	medium	high
Fluidity	cannot flow	can flow	can flow
Real-world example: making coffee	ground-up coffee beans	water in the coffee machine	when the water is heated in the coffee machine, some of the water becomes a gas as steam

EiC Infographic-states of matter-2-gas-liquid

Source: © Dan Bright

EiC Infographic-states of matter-4-liquid-solid

Source: © Dan Bright

EiC Infographic-states of matter-6-gas-solid

Source: © Dan Bright

When the temperature of a gas decreases, particles lose energy and turn into a liquid (condensation)

When the temperature of a liquid increases, particles at the surface gain energy and overcome the forces of attraction. The particles turn into a gas (evaporation) and move randomly and freely. This can happen below the boiling point

When the temperature of a liquid decreases, it loses energy and turns into a solid (freezing)

When a solid reaches its melting point, it gains energy and turns into a liquid (melting). The forces between particles are overcome and the particles can slide past each other

When the temperature of a gas decreases quickly, the particles lose energy and stop moving about. It turns into a solid (deposition)

When a solid is heated quickly, the particles gain energy. It turns into a gas, without first becoming a liquid (sublimation)

Did you know … ?

Water is an example of a compound which is found naturally in all three states of matter – ice as a solid, water as a liquid and water vapour as a gas.