6th Grade Unit 6 Lessons 5 and 6 States of Matter and Changes of State

condensation

when a gas changes to a liquid; droplets of water on the outside of a cold glass of milk

particle model of matter

shows how matter changes into a solid, liquid or gas by adding thermal energy or giving thermal energy away (we'll use our hands to model this)

kinetic energy

the energy an object has because it is moving

solid state matter

has definite shape and volume; particles are strongly attracted to one another, so they are packed closely together and can only vibrate

liquid state matter

has a definite volume, but takes the shape of its container; particles are still loosely attracted to each other but are able to slide past each other a little

gas state matter

does not have a definite shape or volume; particles are not strongly attracted and will move quickly as they bounce off of other particles

volume

the amount of space that matter occupies

temperature

is a measure of the average Kinetic energy of the particles in a substance; more kinetic energy leads to higher temperature

thermal energy

is the total kinetic energy of all the particles in a substance

heat (definition)

the transfer of thermal energy from one object to another; the warmer object passes thermal energy to the cooler substance

Celsius

The temperature scale on which water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100 degrees; the scale we try to use for science

expands

particles spread apart; volume increases

contracts

particles move closer together; volume gets smaller

conduction

transfer of heat through substances touching each other; metal spoon in hot chocolate: heat transfers through the liquid to heat up the spoon

conductors

materials that allow easy transfer of heat; many solid metals

insulators

materials that do not allow easy transfer of heat; plastic, cork, wood, Styrofoam

convection

thermal energy transfer by the movement of a fluid (liquid or gas); warmer fluid becomes less dense and rise while the cooler fluid sinks

radiation

transfer of energy in the form of invisible electromagnetic waves; The sun heats Earth this way

particle theory

is all matter is made up of tiny particles too small to be seen. According to this model, these particles are always moving - they have energy. The more energy they have, the faster they move.

vaporization

when a substance changes from a liquid to a gas e.g. boiling water OR water evaporating

sublimation

when a substance changes from a solid to a gas

thermal energy is increased (added)

the particles move faster

thermal energy is decreased (taken away)

the particles move slower

deposition

when a substance changes from a gas to a solid