The Temperature That Refuses to Rise
📖 The Temperature That Refuses to Rise
All matter is made of particles (atoms or molecules). The state depends on how much energy those particles have and how strongly they are attracted to each other:
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🧠 Memory Aid
The six state changes — remember "MBSCE-D":
- Melting (solid → liquid, energy IN)
- Boiling/evaporation (liquid → gas, energy IN)
- Sublimation (solid → gas, energy IN)
- Condensation (gas → liquid, energy OUT)
- E... wait — reverse: Freezing (liquid → solid, energy OUT)
- Deposition (gas → solid, energy OUT)
Energy rule: Going UP the states (solid → liquid → gas) = energy IN (breaking bonds). Going DOWN (gas → liquid → solid) = energy OUT (forming bonds).
Temperature during state change: Think of a traffic jam — cars (energy) keep arriving but the queue (temperature) doesn't move until the bottleneck (bond-breaking) clears.
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Quiz · Question 1 of 13
In which state of matter are particles arranged in a regular pattern and only vibrate about fixed positions?
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This topic in real past papers
Every real exam question we've found on states of matter, with a full worked answer.