Mineral King area in Sequoia National Park.

Can you identify the solids, liquids and gases in the above photo?

Molecular structures of solids, liquids and gases.

Notice the molecules are most tightly bonded in a solid.

SOLIDS Most solids have a crystal structure and at high temperatures melt, Due to strong molecular attractions which are quite readily felt, For most solids have a certain hardness, strength and rigidity, Due to molecules arranged in orderly three-d patterns, usually. The harder a solid, the stronger the molecular bond, Making alloys(1) like steel both practical and fond . An alloy is usually the mixture of two or more metals, Like steel, perhaps used in your bicycle pedal. With enough heat, the strongest metal will bend, melt or break. Example being iron which is melted into a liquid so it can be easily shaped. Many of the earth’s elements are in a solid state, Most are metals having rigidity and weight. Calcium and carbon give your body a structural rigidity(2). Why, with no solids in your body, you'd be all fluidity. Two solids made of the same element can have different hardness. For example, graphite’s strength compared to a diamond is much less. Yet both these solids are of one hundred percent carbon made. Well, it all has to do with the way their molecules are laid. Both have wondrous uses for the human race, But so different, with yet a similar face. 1: Alloy-A mixture of two or more metals to make a substance of greater strength or other favorable advantage. (For ex: Chromium will be mixed with iron to resist corrosion. carbon will be mixed with iron to give it added strength) 2: Solid Structure-Please remember that your body is about 80 percent water.

2: LIQUIDS Liquids have no shape but will still take up space, And pours from a container at its own unique pace. A liquid is that mysterious state between solid and gas, Taking the shape of its container will it always stand fast. But with no container, a liquid has no shape. This explains why, when you spill it, you attempt an escape. The thickness or thinness of a liquid is called viscosity(3), Based on molecular attraction, this fact has been used creatively. That’s why oil is used to lubricate the engines of our cars, Allowing the engine to work in distances both near and far. Oil holds together its molecular bonds under great pressure and heat, Which are caused by frictional forces and can temporarily be beat. Molecules at a liquid’s surface more strongly together bond. This is why you see insects skimming the surface of a pond. The most wondrous of all liquids is, of course, water. Our appreciation of it will, hopefully, never falter.   3: Viscosity-The resistance of a liquid or gas to natural flow.

3: GASES Gas or vapor is matter in its simplest from, It has no standard structure or comforting norm. The individual molecules of a gas do have mass, Although they’re hard to measure, moving extremely fast. The hotter the gas, the faster these molecules move around, Attracted to new molecules to which they're soon be bound. Gas, including our air, has no clear boundaries or property lines. Gravity’s force prevents air from flying into the great sublime. Gas can be useful when it is into a container compressed, Molecules are now colliding with a newfound zest. The gas is also exerting a pressure on the container’s side, This force is what keeps your tires properly inflated I’ll confide. Many gases can be converted to very useful energy, Propane and butane(4) are two examples you’ll often see. But the properties of gas can be put to many other uses, Like airships, hot air balloons, refrigerators and all things conducive. Temperature, stability, and ease of compression, Are things that put gas’s use in the proper direction.   4: Propane and Butane-These gases are named based on certain properties such as boiling and freezing points, molecular structure and compression flexibility.

CLICK HERE FOR THE WORK SHEETS ON THE THREE STATES OF MATTER.