States of Matter Quiz

Particles are tightly packed, vibrating in place. Solids have a fixed shape and volume.

Particles are close but can move around. Liquids have a fixed volume but take the container's shape.

Particles are far apart and move freely. Gases expand to fill the space.

Ice, rocks, metal

Water, oil, milk

Particles in a solid are closely packed together and vibrate in place. This gives solids a fixed shape and volume.

While particles in a liquid are still close together, they can move around each other. This means liquids have a fixed volume but take the shape of their container.

Particles in a gas are far apart and move freely. They have no fixed shape or volume and will expand to fill any space.

When a substance changes state, the distance between its particles changes. Heating increases the distance between particles and causes a change from solid to liquid to gas. Cooling decreases the distance between particles and causes a change from gas to liquid to solid.

Solid: ice, Liquid: water, Gas: oxygen