States
of Matter
of Matter
Compare the particle movement and arrangement in solids, liquids, and gases.
Solids have tightly packed particles that vibrate, liquids have particles that move past one another, and gases have particles that move freely and quickly.
When heat energy is added to ice and it turns into liquid water, the motion of the particles will move...
particles will move faster and spread farther apart.
How can you tell if a combination of substances is a mixture or a solution?
If you cut a block of clay in half, what happens to the total mass? Explain your reasoning.
The total mass stays the same because the amount of matter hasn't changed, only its shape.
A student places an empty bowl on a scale. The bowl has a mass of 80 g. She then adds 150 g of fruit to the bowl.
What is the total mass shown on the scale?
230 grams
What would you observe if you poured a liquid from a small beaker into a larger beaker?
The liquid will take the shape of the larger beaker.
A puddle of water disappears on a sunny day. Describe the process AND the change in state that occurred.
The liquid water changed into water vapor (gas)
Evaporation
A student mixes sand, salt, and water. Describe a method to separate all three substances.
Use a filter to remove the sand, then evaporate the water to recover the salt.
A student melts an ice cube in a closed container. What happens to the total mass inside, and why?
The mass stays the same because no matter leaves or enters the container.
A jar has a mass of 200 g. A student adds 120 g of soil and 80 g of water.
What will be the total mass?
400 grams
A student tries to pour three substances into a cup: a marble, some milk, and air from a balloon.
Classify each as a solid, liquid, or gas and explain the evidence that supports your classification.
Marble – solid (keeps shape);
Milk – liquid (flows and takes container’s shape);
Air – gas (fills container, takes container’s shape, and can be compressed).
This is the reason condensation often forms on the outside of a cold glass of water on a warm day?
Water vapor in the air cools when it touches the gold glass and changes to liquid water.
The salt's particles spread evenly among the water particles - it's still there, just not visible.
Keisha finds and records the mass of substance X. Then she places the substance in a freezer until the substance freezes. She then removes substance X from the freezer and finds and records the mass again. What would Keisha's most likely show?
The mass of substance X was unchanged. The mass was the same before and after freezing.
A scientist weighs a flask with 500 g of liquid. After heating, some water evaporates, and the new mass is 460 g.
How much water evaporated?
40 grams
Give me a container, and I’ll take its full shape and size. Remove it, and I’ll vanish.
What am I?
Gas
Explain how condensation and freezing are alike.
Both are phase changes where heat energy is removed, causing the particles to move slower and closer together.
Explain why all solutions are mixtures, but not all mixtures are solutions. Give examples to support your reasoning.
Mixtures are created by combing two or more substances. Solutions must have at least two substances, but they are combined completely so the substances are spread out evenly.
Examples of Mixtures:
trail mix, sand and water, iron filings and sand
Examples of Solutions:
chocolate milk, lemonade, saltwaterA teacher combines baking soda and vinegar in a sealed plastic bag. The bag inflates as gas forms.
What will happen to the total mass of the sealed bag?
It will remain the same because no matter left the system.
A cup and a cookie together have a mass of 180 g. The cup alone has a mass of 120 g.
What is the mass of the cookie?
60 grams
When a student opens a bottle of perfume across the room, the smell quickly spreads through the air.
What state of matter is the perfume in when you smell it, and what property explains this?
A gas — because gases spread out to fill all available space and move freely.
Dry ice turns directly into carbon dioxide gas without becoming a liquid first. Explain why this process is unique compared to melting and evaporation.
Sublimation skips the liquid state and goes directly from a solid to a gas.
Erica is given three white powders labeled A, B, and C.
Powder A completely disappears when stirred into water.
Powder B settles to the bottom after stirring.
Powder C floats on top.
Which powder is soluble in water, and how can you tell?
Powder A is soluble because it dissolves completely in water, forming a uniform solution.
Powders B and C are insoluble because they do not dissolve.
A candle burns and produces gases and ash. Explain how this supports the Law of Conservation of Matter even though the candle looks smaller.
The total mass of the candle, gases, and ash is the same as the original candle, but gases escape into the air, making it seem like matter is lost.
A teacher has three containers: one with salt, one with sand, and one empty.
Salt + container = 425 g
Sand + container = 560 g
Empty container = 150 g
Find the combined mass of just the salt and sand.
(425 − 150) + (560 − 150) = 275 + 410 = 685 g