Changing States of Matter

Lab Brief #3

🎯 Your mission

Master the concept. Use it tomorrow.

⚡ The twist

Color changes mean atoms are rearranging — even if you can't see them.

What you'll learn

When matter changes state, its particles move differently. Heating a solid makes particles vibrate faster until they break free and become a liquid, then a gas.

Key words

solid
A form of matter that keeps its own shape.
liquid
A wet material that flows and takes the shape of its container.

Make a hypothesis first

Before you mix: what color do you think it'll turn?

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Heat ice and record the temperature every minute as it melts and then boils. Graph the temperature changes and label each phase change.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Note any unexpected results and think about why they happened.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Share your findings with the class or a partner and discuss what you learned.

Question 1 of 3

What happens to particle motion when matter is heated?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 3

What are the three common states of matter?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 3 of 3

Which state of matter has a definite shape and volume?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🧪 If you could remove all the empty space from atoms, the entire human race would fit in a sugar cube.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 3 right.

Next: Physical Changes All lessons

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: Your toothpaste, your soap, even your breakfast involves this.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Ask a grown-up to help you mix two safe kitchen things. Predict what will happen first.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “What's something we cook that mixes things together this way?”

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