Matter Is Made of Particles
Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen, and that this explains properties of solids, liquids, and gases
What a learner can do afterwards
- Describe matter as made of particles too small to see with the naked eye
- Use a particle model to explain differences: particles tightly packed (solid), loosely arranged (liquid), spread far apart (gas)
- Use the particle model to explain a state change (e.g. heating makes particles move faster and spread apart)
1 · Read
Look around you. Your desk, the water in your cup, even the air you breathe. All of it is matter, and all matter is built from tiny particles. These particles are so small that no eye, not even with a magnifying glass, can spot a single one.
Ice, water, and steam are all made of the same particles. In ice (solid), the particles are packed in a tight pattern. When it melts into water (liquid), the same particles stay close but can slide past each other. When it boils into steam (gas), the particles fly far apart and spread through the room.
You already know how to draw solid, liquid, and gas particles. Remember: the particles don't change size when something melts or boils. Only the space between them changes.
Everything is made of particles too small to see, and how tightly packed they are decides whether something is a solid, liquid, or gas.
Rewritten readings were written for this dataset.
More to read
Particles explain states of matter
Matter contains particles too small to see, and they move continually. Solid particles sit close together and vibrate around fixed positions. Liquid particles remain close but move around one another. Gas particles have wide gaps between them and travel in every direction. These differences explain a solid's steady shape, a liquid's ability to flow, and a gas spreading throughout its container. When a substance changes between these states, its particles stay the same but their arrangement and movement change.
Representing solids, liquids, and gases using particulate models
Heating makes particles move faster and spread apart. This is why things expand when heated. Cooling makes particles slow down and move closer. This explains melting, freezing, boiling, and condensing. When ice melts, the particles gain enough energy to break free from their fixed spots but stay close. When water boils, particles get enough energy to fly apart completely.
What's the Matter?
You can explore states of matter with simple kitchen science. Freeze water to make solid ice. Watch it melt to liquid. Boil it to make gas. Make a popsicle to see liquid turn solid. Dry fruit to see water leave as gas. Each change shows particles rearranging. The matter stays the same, only the particle arrangement changes. This model helps you predict what will happen when you heat or cool anything.
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2 · Watch
En anglaisTake it off screen
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.