Question

List four states of matter. Which states of matter are most common on
Earth?

Answer 1

There are four states of matter: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Solids, liquids, and gases are the most common on Earth with solids having a fixed shape and volume, liquids taking the shape of their container while maintaining volume, and gases expanding to fill their container.

Step-by-step explanation:

The four states of matter are solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. On Earth, the most common states of matter are solid, liquid, and gas. These states are often highlighted as the three common phases of matter. Solids, such as an ice sculpture, have a fixed shape and volume. Liquids, like a drop of water, take the shape of their container and have a fixed volume. Gases, exemplified by the air around clouds, expand to fill their container, and plasma is a high-energy state found in things like electrical arcing from a Tesla coil.

Characteristics of Solids

Solids have atoms in close contact, with forces between them that allow the particles to vibrate but not change position with neighboring particles.

Characteristics of Liquids and Gases

Liquids adapt to the shape of their container while maintaining their volume. Gases, however, will expand to fill the entirety of their container.

Answer 2

The four states of matter are:
1. Solid
2. Liquid
3. Gas
4. Plasma

The most common states of matter on Earth are solid, liquid, and gas. Plasma is the most common state of matter in the universe, but it is relatively rare on Earth.