Which condition did you change?
Labs / Chemistry
States of Matter
Every particle here follows the same two rules: push away neighbors that get too close, cling gently to ones nearby. The only thing the temperature slider changes is how fast they jiggle — solid, liquid, and gas all fall out of that. Press and hold anywhere to stir.
Labs / Chemistry / States of Matter
States of Matter
Every particle here follows the same two rules: push away neighbors that get too close, cling gently to ones nearby. The only thing the temperature slider changes is how fast they jiggle — solid, liquid, and gas all fall out of that. Press and hold anywhere to stir.
Why it matters
Why explore this?
Chemistry connects events too small to see with changes we can measure. This model helps you link particles, energy, and conditions to an observable result.
Explore
Try the model
Phase Solidv̄ 0 px/s
Investigate
Questions to test
Predict first, try it in the model, then use what you observe to answer.
What to try
- Start solid and nudge the temperature up slowly. Can you find the moment the crystal loses its shape?
- In the solid state, look closely at the arrangement. Why do the particles form that pattern on their own?
- Stir the solid with your pointer, then let it settle. Does it heal back into a crystal?
- Boil it, then cool it straight back down. Does it freeze into one clean crystal or something messier?
- Particles glow hotter the faster they move. In the liquid, are they all the same temperature?
Explain
Make sense of what happened
Describe what happened at the particle or energy level, then connect it to the result you saw. A strong explanation names both the cause and the evidence.
Check
Before you leave
What happened to the particles or energy?
What observation supports your explanation?
If you can answer all three using evidence from the model, you understand the main idea. If not, return to Explore and change one setting at a time.