What is Matter?
Matter is anything in the universe that is made out of atoms. Atoms are tiny building blocks of all things. Check out our post on atoms! Matter comes in three states: solids, liquids, and gases. We are going to write about each one of them in the next few days. Today, we are going to focus on the liquid state of matter.
What is a Liquid?
A liquid is made out of atoms that are evenly spaced apart. This makes liquids flow. Liquids have a definite size or mass, but do not have a definite shape. This is because liquids can take the shape of whatever container you put it in! Experiment with this! Get different shaped containers and pour water in them. Does the water have a definite shape or does it not? Share your results by going to spectacularsci.com/contact. Liquids can also dissolved solids easily. This is because the liquid atoms can break apart the solids. This makes liquids, like water, very vulnerable to pollution. Liquids, like water, can also climb up surfaces with fibers. Water can climb up these surfaces because of something called Capillary Action. That means that the water can stick to the tiny fibers and climb up. Only water, a fluid, can do this. When liquids get colder, they turn into solids and when liquids get hotter, they turn into a gas. These are all of the properties of liquids!