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Matter is all around us. Everything that you can touch, taste, smell, and see is
made of matter. There are three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas.
Solid matter has its own shape. This is because the tiny molecules that make
up solids are very close together, and they do not move very much. Solid matter can
be big, small, round, square, or any shape you can imagine. Ice, a cup, apples,
paper, and windows are all solids. The shapes of solids do not change unless
something makes them change. For example, you can cut solid paper or break a
solid cup.
Liquid matter does not have its own shape. The tiny molecules in liquids are
not as close together as they are in solids, and they can move around more. Water,
glue, milk, gasoline, and juice are all liquids. Liquid matter takes the shape of the
container that it is in. For example, the shape of milk looks like the shape of the
glass that you pour it in. Liquids can pour, drip, flow, and splash.
Gas matter, like liquid, does not have its own shape. The tiny molecules in
gases are far apart, and they move a lot. Steam, exhaust from the car, oxygen,
carbon dioxide, and helium are all gases. Gases spread out and fill up their
container. For example, when someone blows up a balloon, the carbon dioxide in
their breath spreads out inside the balloon to make the balloon get bigger.
Sometimes matter can change from one state to another if the matter is heated
or cooled. For example, liquid water can turn into solid ice when cooled. Liquid
water can also be turned into steam when heated.