Sunday, November 10, 2013

Matter Matters!

   Hey guys, I'm back with another post! Today we'll be talking about all of the different states of matter and its various states. The first thing you'll need to know is that matter is anything that takes up space and has a mass. You. me, the fish in the sea, spiders(eek!), bananas, EVERYTHING! Matter is split into three main groups: solids, liquids, and gases. Matter changes states due to changes in temperature and pressure, which are both physical changes; it does not undergo a chemical change. A good example of this is water! It changes from ice, to water, to water vapor but still retains its chemical properties.

   
   The next thing we'll talk about is an objects melting point. Melting point is the temperature at which a solid passes through to a liquid state. Every object has its individual melting point. When an object, for example ice, is heated, the molecules are given energy. This makes the molecules vibrate faster and faster, until their bonds break. Once all of the bonds have broken, the ice melts into water. Heat energy that helps break the molecular structure of a solid is called heat of fusion. Similarly, an object has a boiling point, which is the point at which a liquid turns into a gas. Heat of vaporization is when heat energy required to break the bonds of liquid molecules.

   Lastly, we'll talk about sublimation, condensation, and deposition. Sublimation is when a solid turns straight into a gas, completely skipping the liquid state. For example, dry ice, which is frozen carbon dioxide, changes straight from its solid form to steam. Condensation is the process of a liquid changing back into a gas. You can see an example of this while you are cooking. If you boil something, and you put a pot lit over it, the water vapor will start to change back into water, which will collect on the top of the lid. Deposition is the reverse of sublimation, where gas turns back into liquid. A great example of this is when you sub-freeze air, and the water vapor turns directly into ice, without passing through the liquid state.

   I hope this post was helpful for you guys! I'll be back soon, au revoir!