Childrens Science Experiments - Kids Materials and their properties

Materials and their Properties

Liquids, Solids and Gases

Materials

Everything on our plant 'Earth' is made of materials: solids, liquids and gases. Different materials have different properties and can affect the jobs they are used for.

The three different properties of these materials are changing shape, flowing and changing its volume.

-Changing Shape - Can the materials change their shape? A liquid can change its shape depending on the container it is poured into and depending on extreme temperature change, gases fill in and spread to fill the space they can reach and a solid does not change its shape but we can change its shape by either bending it, taking away from it or melting it..

Flowing – Can the materials flow? Liquids and gases can flow, whereas solids cannot flow.

Changing Volume – Can the materials change their volume by being squeezed? A liquid and a solid material don’t change very much in volume, but they can expand slightly when put under extreme temperatures (hot & cold). A gas can be changed by squashing it.

Materials and their Particles

All materials are made up of tiny particles and the way these particles are arranged helps to explain the different properties of the three materials.

Let’s look at these three materials and their particles:

Liquids – The particles in a liquid are very close together, but they don’t hold onto each other very strongly. The particles in a liquid are always moving around each other, but with no pattern and changing places all the time. Therefore, liquids flow so easily and can take up the shape of the container you put them in. Because the particles are very close together you cannot squeeze a liquid into a smaller space.

Solids – The particles in a solid are packed so closely together and therefore hold onto each other very tightly that they can barely move at all. The particles in a solid are fixed in a pattern so the shape and volume cannot be changed unless chopped, cut or chiselled. Therefore, solids don’t flow and why they keep their shape. Solids cannot be squashed into smaller volumes due to the particles being so close together.

Gases - The particles in gases are a long way away from each other and they bounce around hitting each other which keeps them apart. The particles bounce off the walls and off each other and can be squeezed closer together when compressed. Gases flow easily and spread out to fill all available spaces. It is easy to change the volume of gases as they are mostly empty space and the particles can easily be squeezed together into a smaller space and this is why it is easy to change the volume of a gas.

Kids Science Experiments - Liquids, Solids & Gases