Solids, Liquids, Gases: Kinetic Theory

• Solids


  Have a fixed volume and shape, high density, atoms vibrate in position but can't change location, particles packed closely together in a fixed and regular pattern
• Liquids


  Have a fixed volume but adopt the shape of the container, generally less dense than solids, particles move and slide past each other
• Gases


  Do not have a fixed volume, take up the shape of the container, very low density, a lot of space between the particles, particles move randomly and quickly, collide with each other and the container
• Solids, liquids and gases have different physical properties that can be explained by the arrangement and motion of their particles
• This is called the kinetic theory of matter