Back to Chapter 01 · The Matter Mission
Why solids, liquids, and gases behave differently
The particles stay the same. Their arrangement and freedom to move explain the different states.
Schematic teaching diagram · labels and text explain each state.
Read the sequence
- Solid: in this ordered-solid example, closely packed particles vibrate around fixed positions. The sample keeps its shape and volume.
- Liquid: closely spaced particles move past one another. The sample changes shape to fit a container but keeps nearly the same volume.
- Gas: particles travel throughout the container, with different speeds and directions. They fill its available volume.
- Move the compression control. A gas loses much more volume than a solid or liquid; the particles themselves do not shrink.
About this model. Spacing, particle sizes, speeds, and compression amounts are illustrative, not to scale. This compares states; it does not model heating or a phase transition.