Summary of the Chapter (Snapshot)

Cause and Effect — From Particles to States

Mind Map

Key Terms and Definitions

Matter

Anything that has mass and takes up space, made of tiny particles.

Constituent particle

The basic smallest unit that makes up a larger piece of a substance.

Interparticle spaces

The empty spaces between the particles of matter.

Interparticle attractions

The attractive forces that hold particles of matter together.

Solid state

Particles tightly packed with strong attractions; fixed shape and volume.

Liquid state

Particles loosely packed and moving; fixed volume but no fixed shape.

Gaseous state

Particles far apart and free; no fixed shape or volume.

Melting point

The temperature at which a solid melts into a liquid at atmospheric pressure.

Boiling point

The temperature at which a liquid turns into vapour at atmospheric pressure.

Evaporation

The slow change of a liquid into vapour at its surface, at any temperature.

Fluids

Substances that flow and have no fixed shape, namely liquids and gases.

Incompressible

Something whose volume cannot be reduced by pressure, like water.

Suspended Particulate Matter

Tiny dust particles suspended in air, much larger than constituent particles.

Thermal energy

The heat energy of particles that decides their motion and the state of matter.

Erosion

The slow breaking down of rocks in nature, for example by rivers.