Notes on Four States of
Matter
Beasley
8th Science
Three states of matter
• Solid
• Liquid
• Gas
Particle Movement
• Solid – particles are packed close together
• Particles move by vibrating in place (but
they cannot break the attraction to one
another)
• Particles are locked in place
• Have definite shape and volume
Particle Movement
• Liquid – particles overcome some
attraction and slide past each other
• Liquids take the shape of their container
• Has a definite volume (volume stays the
same no matter what container the liquid
is in or what shape the container is)
• Liquids for spherical drops
Particle Movement (liquid)
• VISCOSITY – Resistance to flow –
• ? – which is more viscous – syrup or water
Answer
Viscosity = Resistance to flow so syrup
would be more resistant to flow
Particle Movement (Gas)
• Gases – particles move very quickly
• Gas particles move independently of each
other
• Little attraction between particles
• No definite shape or volume
Temperature and Particle
Movement
• TEMPERATURE – a measure of how fast
particles move
• effects particle movement
• Hot – particles move fast and spread out
(which could cause a balloon to blow up)
• Cold – particles move slow and get close
together (can cause a balloon to shrink)
Boyle’s Law
• Boyle’s Law
• As pressure decreases the volume of the gas
increases
• Ex. Pushing down on a piston (pump) increases
the pressure and decreases the amount of gas
that can be held within the pump (therefore it will
come out)
• As pressure increases the volume of gas
decreases
• If I raise up the handle on the pump – it allows
for more room for the gas molecules to move
Boyles Law continued
• If the handle is raised up – it allows more
room for the gas particles to move
• If the handle is pushed down – it allows
less room for the gas particles to move
Charles’s Law
• Charles’ Law
• Temperature affects volume of the gas
• If temperature is high – particles move fast
– and the volume expands (get bigger)
• If temperature is cold – particles slow
down and stick together – volume shrinks
Changes of state – Physical
Properties
Change of State - Occurs due to heating or
cooling of a substance (adding or
removing energy)
5 Changes of State
• Melting – solid to liquid
– Melting point – temp at which a solid becomes a liquid
• Freezing – liquid to solid
• Freezing pt – temperature at which a liquid becomes a
solid
• Evaporation – liquid to gas
– Boiling point – temp at which a liquid becomes a vapor/gas
• Condensation – gas to liquid
• Condensation pt – temp at which a gas becomes a liquid
• sublimation – solid to gas
Pictures of Changes in State
Endothermic vs. Exothermic
• Endothermic Vs Exothermic
• Endothermic change – (particles) gains
energy when it changes state (solid to
liquid)
• Exothermic – (particles )loses energy
when it changes state (liquid to solid)
• Examples – Endothermic – an ice cube
melts
• Example of exothermic – water freezes