🎲

πŸ§ͺ Science βš—οΈ Matter and chemistry

Matter

Matter exists in three states: solid, like rocks, liquid, like water, and gas, like air.
Matter exists in three states: solid, like rocks, liquid, like water, and gas, like air.

πŸ“– In short

Matter is anything that has weight and takes up space. A book is matter, water is matter, air is matter, and so are you! Matter comes in three main states: solid, liquid and gas.

🀩 Did you know?

  • The visible universe is about 75% hydrogen and 24% helium.
  • A single drop of water holds a huge number of molecules, and counting them would take you millions of years!
  • Air is matter, because it fills a balloon and takes up space.
  • There's a fourth state of matter called plasma, found in stars and lightning.

πŸ”Ž Find out more

🌟 Three states

A solid has a fixed shape and size, like a stone. A liquid has a fixed size but takes the shape of its container, like juice. And a gas has no fixed shape or size, like air.

πŸ” Matter changes

Matter can change from one state to another: solid ice melts into liquid water, water boils into steam, and steam cools back into water.

πŸ’‘ Made of atoms

All matter is made of tiny atoms. In a solid the atoms are close together and in order, in a liquid they're close but moving, and in a gas they're far apart and moving fast.

🎯 The universe is matter

Stars and planets are made of matter too. And most of the matter in the universe is two light elements: hydrogen and helium.

🧩 Test yourself

1 How many main states of matter are there?

2 What happens to ice when it warms up?

3 Which picture shows β€œMatter”?

πŸ§ͺ Discover more