States of Matter

Gilbert, AZ, April 26th at 09:45

Matter is any substance that has mass and takes up space by having volume. There are three states of matter: solid, liquid and gas. Water is very unique in that it can exist in all three states of matter. When water is cooled down below 32ºF or 0ºC it freezes into a solid, also known as ice (pictured above). Here I am standing in water in its liquid state at room temperature (pictured below).

When you apply heat to water and it reaches 212ºF or 100ºC, water can transform into steam, a form of its gas state, called water vapor. When something is solid, the tiny molecules it is made up of are tightly packed together. When it is in a liquid state, the molecules are little more spread out, allowing it to ebb and flow like water. When it is in its gas state, the molecules are spread out the most.

Did you know, how much energy it takes to turn water into steam? To convert 1 gallon of water at its boiling point of 100ºC into 1 gallon of steam, will require 2,260 Joules of heat to be absorbed by the water.