Term | Definition |
solid | a state of matter that has a definite shape and a definite volume |
liquid | a state of matter that has no definite shape but has a definite volume |
gas | a state of matter that has no definite shape or volume |
crystalline solid | a solid that is made up of crystals in which particles are arranged in a regular, repeating pattern |
fluid | a substance that can flow |
amorphous solid | a solid made up of particles that are not arranged in a regular pattern |
surface tension | the result of an inward pull among the molecules of a liquid that brings the molecules on the surface closer together; causes the surface to act like a thin skin |
melting | the change in state from a solid to a liquid |
vaporization | the change in state from a liquid to a gas |
boiling point | the temperature at which a substance changes from a liquid to a gas; the same temperature as the condensation point |
melting point | the temperature at which a substance changes from a solid to a liquid; the same temperature as the freezing point |
evaporation | the process that occurs when vaporization takes place only on the surface of a liquid |
condensation | the change of state from a gas to a liquid |
freezing | the change of state from a liquid to a solid |
boiling | the process that occurs when vaporization takes place inside a liquid as well as on top |
sublimation | the change in state from a solid directly to a gas without changing through a liquid state |
pressure | the force pushing on a surface divided by the area of that surface |
Boyle's Law | a principle that describes the relationship between the pressure and the volume of a gas at a constant temperature |
Charles' Law | a principle that describes the relationship between the temperature and the volume of a gas at a constant pressure |