Scientists have always known about solids, liquids, and gases. What are the main states of matter? Everyone should know about solids, liquids, gases, and plasmas. Scientists will probably discover more states of matter as we continue to explore the Universe. There are many other states of matter that exist in extreme environments. Each of those states is sometimes called a phase. We cover five states of matter on the site. Different states of matter will fill volumes in different ways.Įven though matter can be found all over the Universe, you will only find it in a few forms (states) on Earth. A marble takes up a small volume while a star occupies a large volume.

Words such as big, little, long, or short are used to describe volumes.

What is volume? Volume is the amount of space something occupies. Mass is a measure of the matter in an object while weight is a measure of gravity’s pull on an object. You should also know there is a difference between mass and weight. You might have a large object with very little mass such as a balloon filled with helium (He). You might have a small object with a lot of mass such as a statue made of lead (Pb). What is mass? Mass is the amount of matter in an object. Matter is defined as anything that has mass and takes up space (it has volume).

Those atoms go on to build the things you see and touch every day. Atoms and compounds are all made of very small parts of matter. What is matter? Matter is everything around you.

Sentence with the word molecule