101 Solids, Liquids, and Gases-Low

Solids, Liquids, and Gases Written by Charles and Natalie Barman

Introduction Look around you. What do you see? Look at the book you are reading. Does it have a certain shape? What about the air you breathe? Can you feel it, smell it, or taste it, What about water from a drinking fountain? Can you see it and feel it? Does it have a certain size or shape?

Your world is made of many objects and substances. Each has its own properties. These properties may include color, size, temperature, a certain shape, or being able to change shape easily. An object might feel rough or smooth, soft or hard, wet or dry. In this book, you will learn about the objects and substances all around you. You will also learn how these substances change.

Matter The things around you that take up space are known as matter. Your desk, the milk you drink, and the air inside a basketball are matter. They all take up space. A grain of sand is a small bit of matter. It takes up a small amount of space. The water in a swimming pool takes up a lot of space.

Matter comes in three main forms. These forms are called the states of matter. Let's look at the picture of a fish tank. You can see gravel at the bottom of the tank. You can also see fish and decorations. These things each have a specific shape. Their shape stays the same when moved from place to place. They also take up a certain amount of space. Each of these things is a type of matter called a solid.

The water that the fish swim in does not keep the same shape when poured or spilled. For example, if the water in the tank were poured into a large, round bowl, it would take the shape of the bowl. Water is a type of matter called a liquid. Liquids do not keep the same shape when moved from one container to another. They also cannot be squeezed into a smaller space.