Table of the properties of the three states of matter

States of Matter

Gases, liquids and solids are all made up of microscopic particles, but the behaviors of these particles differ in the three phases. The following figure illustrates the microscopic differences.

• Particles in a:
  • gas are well separated with no regular arrangement.
  • liquid are close together with no regular arrangement.
  • solid are tightly packed, usually in a regular pattern.
  • gas vibrate and move freely at high speeds.
  • liquid vibrate, move about, and slide past each other.
  • solid vibrate (jiggle) but generally do not move from place to place.

  The following table summarizes properties of gases, liquids, and solids and identifies the microscopic behavior responsible for each property.

  Some Characteristics of Gases, Liquids and Solids and the Microscopic Explanation for the Behavior
  gas	liquid	solid
  assumes the shape and volume of its container particles can move past one another	assumes the shape of the part of the container which it occupies particles can move/slide past one another	retains a fixed volume and shape rigid - particles locked into place
  compressible lots of free space between particles	not easily compressible little free space between particles	not easily compressible little free space between particles
  flows easily particles can move past one another	flows easily particles can move/slide past one another	does not flow easily rigid - particles cannot move/slide past one another