explaining changes of state
Changes of state refer to the physical transformations that matter undergoes when it changes from one state to another, such as between solid, liquid, and gas. These changes happen when matter absorbs or loses energy, usually in the form of heat, causing the particles to move more or less and rearrange themselves without changing the substance's chemical composition.
Key changes of state include:
Melting: Solid to liquid (e.g., ice melting into water) when heat is added.
Freezing: Liquid to solid (e.g., water freezing to ice) when heat is removed.
Evaporation/Boiling: Liquid to gas (e.g., water boiling to steam) when more heat is added.
Condensation: Gas to liquid (e.g., steam cooling to water droplets) when heat is removed.
Sublimation: Solid directly to gas (e.g., dry ice turning to vapor) without passing through a liquid phase.
Deposition: Gas directly to solid (e.g., frost forming from vapor) without becoming liquid first.
These state changes are physical and reversible. The energy added or removed affects particle movement—more energy means particles move faster and tend to separate (changing from solid to liquid to gas), while less energy means particles slow down and come closer together (changing from gas to liquid to solid).