You can think of the particles that make up matter as tiny balls
You can explain the ways that matter behaves in terms of how these tiny balls move, and the forces between them
States of matter
Solid (e.g. ice)
Liquid (e.g. water)
Gas (e.g. water vapour)
Solids
Strong forces of attraction hold the particles close together in a fixed, regular arrangement
Particles don't have much energy so they can only vibrate about their fixed positions
Liquids
Weaker forces of attraction between the particles
Particles are close together, but can move past each other, and form irregular arrangements
Particles have more energy than in a solid - they move in random directions at low speeds
Gases
Almost no forces of attraction between the particles
Particles have more energy than in liquids and solids - they're free to move, and are constantly moving with random directions and speeds
Colliding gas particles create pressure
1. Particles in gases are free to move around
2. As they move, they bang into each other and whatever else happens to get in the way (like the sides of the container they're being kept in)
3. When they collide with something, they exert a force on it
4. Pressure is the force exerted per unit area
5. In a sealed container, the outward gas pressure is the total force exerted by all of the particles in the gas on a unit area of the container walls
Increasing the temperature of a gas
Can increase its pressure
Internal energy
The total energy stored by particles in a system
Internal energy
Particles in a system have energy in their kinetic energy stores
Particles in a system have energy in their potential energy stores due to their positions
Heating the system transfers energy to its particles, increasing the internal energy
This leads to a change in temperature or a change in state
A change of state conserves mass
Changes of state
Sublimating
Freezing
Melting
Boiling or evaporating
Condensing
A change of state is a physical change, not a chemical change
Specific latent heat
The energy needed to change the state of a 1 kg mass
Specific latent heat of fusion
The specific latent heat for changing between a solid and a liquid (melting or freezing)
Specific latent heat of vaporisation
The specific latent heat for changing between a liquid and a gas (evaporating, boiling or condensing)
Calculating specific latent heat
Energy (E) = Mass (m) x Specific Latent Heat (L)
solids
In solids, strong attractive forces hold the particles in place, so that they can only vibrate in position.
As the substance is heated the particles gain energy and vibrate faster and faster. Eventually, the particles have so much energy that they can overcome the forces holding them together and the substance melts into a liquid
Gas
When a gas is heated, the particles gain kinetic energy and move faster.
If the gas is trapped within a container that cannot expand, it means that the volume of the gas is fixed, and so the pressure inside the container increases