Particle Postulates
All matter is made of these tiny, invisible units
particles
In this state, particles are locked in place and vibrate.
solid
The process of a liquid turning into a solid
freezing
When heated, particles move apart and cause a material to do this
expand
This process explains why you can smell dinner cooking from another room
diffusion
This happens to the speed of particles when you add heat
speeding up. (or moving faster)
Particles in this state have no fixed shape but a fixed volume
liquids
When a gas cools down and turns back into a liquid.
condensation
When particles are cooled down, they lose energy and move closer together, causing the matter to do this.
contract (thermal contraction)
A balloon left outside on a freezing winter day will do this
shrink (deflate)
Particles are constantly doing this, even in a solid
moving (or vibrating)
This state has particles with the most energy and space
gas
This happens at the surface of a liquid as it becomes a gas
evaporation
This is the average kinetic energy of the particles in a substance.
temperature
Particles of different substances do this to each other, which is why water sticks to glass.
attract
This is the type of force that holds particles together.
an attractive force. (or attraction)
This state of matter pours and takes the shape of its container.
plasma
The direct jump from a solid to a gas, skipping liquid
sublimation
Sidewalks have gaps built into them to prevent cracking when heat causes this particle phenomenon
What is thermal expansion
Pumping more air into a bicycle tire increases pressure because you are adding more of these
particles
Particle theory says that there is always this between particles.
empty space?
This super-heated, gas-like state is found in stars and lightning
plasma
The frosty process where a gas turns directly into a solid
deposition
This theoretical temperature is where all particle motion completely stops
absolute zero
Dissolving sugar in hot tea happens faster than in iced tea because the water particles have more of this
kinetic energy (or speed)