Matter Is Made of Tiny Particles

Science · Matter & Materials · ages 10-11

Name ______________________ Date ____________

In which state are particles packed most tightly together?
- Liquid
- Solid
- Gas
What is everything around you, like your desk and the air, made of?
- Tiny particles
- Nothing, it is empty inside
- Only water
Gas particles are spread far apart with lots of space between them.
Circle one: True False
This grid shows a solid's particles neatly lined up. How many particles are in the grid?
Answer: ______________
Why can you pour water but not a rock?
- Water has no particles, but a rock does
- Water's particles are bigger than a rock's particles
- Water's particles can slide past each other, but a rock's particles are locked in place
When ice is heated and melts into water, what happens to its particles?
- They start moving faster and spread out a little more
- They disappear completely
- They stop moving completely
A sealed jar has gas inside. If you cool the gas until it turns into a liquid, what most likely happens to the particles?
- They vanish and new ones appear
- They speed up and spread further apart
- They slow down and move closer
Jayden says, "When water boils into steam, new particles get created out of nothing." What is wrong with his idea?
- Jayden is right, boiling makes new particles
- The same particles are still there, just moving faster and spread further apart
- Steam has no particles at all

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Solid · Solid particles sit close together in a fixed pattern, which is why solids keep their shape.
Tiny particles · All matter, solid, liquid, or gas, is built from tiny particles too small to see.
True · Gas particles move freely and spread out to fill whatever space they are in.
9 · In a solid, particles sit in an orderly pattern. Counting rows times columns gives 3 x 3 = 9.
Water's particles can slide past each other, but a rock's particles are locked in place · Liquid particles stay close but can move past one another, while solid particles stay locked in a pattern.
They start moving faster and spread out a little more · Heating gives particles more energy, so they move faster and drift further apart, turning the solid into a liquid.
They slow down and move closer · Cooling removes energy from particles, so they slow down and pack closer together, changing gas into liquid.
The same particles are still there, just moving faster and spread further apart · Boiling does not create particles. It gives the same particles enough energy to spread far apart as a gas.