Matter in the form of a solid are all around us. THe desk you are sitting at, the pencil in your hand and the ice in my glass are made of solids. In a solid, the atoms are packed tighyly and are not able to move freely. This makes a solid keep its' shape. A solid cannot be poured and change shape. Solids have mass and have a definite shape. If you viewed the particles in a solid, they would be tightly packed and not be able to move about freely.
Have you ever poured yourelf a glass of milk? If so, you were pouring matter in the form of a liquid. Liquids can be poured and take up the shape of the container they are poured into. Drinks, salad dressing, and soups are liquids. When you pour your milk out of the milk jug it changes shape. It used to be in the shape of the milk jug, but now is in the shape of your cup. When you drink it and it is in your stomach, it now has a new shape. Liquids have mass, but do not have a definite shape like solids.
Are you breathing right now? If you are there is a gas coming out of your mouth called carbod dioxide. When you breathe in, you are breathing oxygen. If you don't believe me, then blow into a balloon. What happens? The balloon gets bigger, right? That is because air is matter and takes up space. Gasses really cannot be poured and do not have a definite shape. They are a bit like water and take the shape of the container they are in. If you viewed the particles in a gas, they would be moving about really fast.
When you think of water, it is easy to see water runnung out of a faucet. The water runs out of your faucet because it is a liquid. Water can also be in the form of a solid. Snow, ice cubes, and sleet are all exampes of water in a solid state. The air you are breathing has water in it too. Water is all around us in the air as water vapor. Water vapor comes from water around the planet that has evaporated. Water vapor is water in the form of a gas. This water vaport in the air helps to form the clouds you see outside. When water changes between a solid, liquid and a gas, that is called a physical change in matter.
TRY THIS: Place a few ice cubes in a cup and set it out in your kitchen. After about an hour, you will notice that your ice cube has melted. It has changed states from a solid to a liquid. If you decide you want a solid again, you put it back into the freezer. After a few hours, your water will have froze back into a solid. Your new ice will not be in the shape of your origianal ice cubes. It will be in the shape of the cup, If you want to make water vapor, just leave the cup out. In about 2-3 days, you will notice the water is completly gone. Where did it go? Well, into the air of course! You have just viewed water in all 3 states: solid, liquid and gas.
How does the pencil in your hand feel? Smooth? Hard?What color is it? When you describe matter to someone you are telling about its' physical properties. How matter looks, feels, tastes, sounds and smells helps to describe the properties of matter. When you pick fruits from the store you first view the color. Does it look right? Then if the fruit looks right, you may then pick one up and feel it. Is it too mushy? Too firm? Some fruits are ripe when you can smell them. Or are too ripe when you can smell them. Some stores will even let you sample a taste to see if it is sweet enough like a berry or a grape. Of course you cannot sit in the store and try out a watermellon, that would be silly!