States of Matter and Particle Behavior

Matter is basically anything that has mass and takes up space. It usually exists

as a solid, liquid, or gas. In a solid, the particles are

packed very tightly in a neat, fixed pattern. They cannot move around,

only vibrate in place, which is why solids keep both a fixed shape and a fixed

volume. In a liquid, the particles are still close together but arranged randomly.

They can slide past each other, so a liquid keeps a fixed volume but takes the shape

of its container. In a gas, the particles are far apart and move quickly in all directions.

Because of this, gases have no fixed shape or volume and can be compressed. When a substance