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Summaries · Grade 4 Natural Sciences › Matter and materials
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Matter and materials

Solids, liquids and gases, and how substances melt, freeze, evaporate and condense. Read one part at a time and tap “I know this”. Then test yourself in the quiz.

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Three states

Solidtightly packedLiquidclose, sliding pastGasfar apart
The closer the particles, the more solid the substance.
SolidLiquidGas
ShapeOwn shapeShape of containerFills the container
ExampleWooden spoon, iceWater, oilAir, steam
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From one state to another

  • Ice gets warm and melts; water in the freezer freezes.
  • A puddle evaporates on a hot day. Washing dries faster when it is windy, because the wind carries the water vapour away.
  • Drops form on the outside of a cold cooldrink can: the water vapour in the air condenses.
  • Boiling is fast evaporation at a high temperature.
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Heat and particles

Everything is made of tiny particles. When you heat a substance, the particles move faster. That is why ice melts and water boils when it gets hot enough.

Meerkat tip

You can walk through air but not through a wall: gas particles are far apart.

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Gases and solidifying

  • A gas has no fixed shape and spreads everywhere: the smell of bread in the oven fills the whole house.
  • A gas can be compressed: you squeeze a lot of air into a balloon or a bicycle tyre.
  • Solidifying is when a liquid cools down and becomes solid: melted chocolate, wax or butter becomes hard again.
Rule

Heat: solid → liquid → gas. Cool: gas → liquid → solid.

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Remember this and test yourself

Remember this: your summary
  • The three states of matter are solid, liquid and gas.
  • A solid keeps its shape; a liquid takes the shape of its container; a gas fills the whole container.
  • Melting: solid → liquid. Freezing: liquid → solid.
  • Evaporation: liquid → gas. Condensation: gas → liquid.
  • Water boils at 100 °C and freezes at 0 °C. The mass stays the same when it freezes.

Write these points in your book. Read them again the night before the test.

Memory trick

Solid = soldiers in a row. Liquid = people in a corridor. Gas = children on the playground at break.

Flash cards · Tap to turn over

Important words

First say what the word means, then turn the card over.

Test yourself · Part 2

True or false?

Read the question and the answer. Is the answer right? Tap True or False.

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