Question

We usually find matter in____, ____ and ____forms

Answer 1

Hint: We know that the matter can be classified into different states on the basis of intermolecular forces and the arrangement of particles such as solid, liquid and gas. Matter is something that has volume and can occupy space. It is composed of small particles such as atoms or molecules.

Complete answer:
Solid: The particles are tightly packed together in the solid as the forces between the particles are intense such that the particles cannot move freely but can only vibrate. This makes the solid stable with definite shape and a certain volume. Solids differ from liquids and gases by the characteristic feature of rigidity.
Liquid: It is an incompressible fluid that takes the shape of its container but retains a nearly constant volume independent of the pressure. The molecules in a liquid are closely packed because of weak intermolecular forces. These are weaker than solids but stronger than that of gases.
Gas: The molecules have enough kinetic energy due to which the impact of the intermolecular forces is small and the normal distance between the adjacent molecules is much more than the molecular size. Gases do not have definite shape or volume, but it occupies the entire container in which it is confined.
Therefore, we usually find matter in solid, liquid and gaseous forms.
Solids are hard and have a definite shape. A liquid occupies space but has not any definite shape. Gases occupy space all around and the molecules of gases are highly diffused. One form of matter can be changed to another form by absorption or release of energy.

Note:
Remember that there are many other states other than these three, such as Bose Einstein condensate and neutron degenerate matter occur only in extreme conditions such as ultra-cold or ultra-dense matter. Also, quark – gluon plasmas are known to be possible but remain theoretical for the time being.