The difference between the three states of matter, solid, liquid, and gas, is the movement and arrangement of the particles they are made of. In this activity, you will explore how temperature affects the movement of particles!
What Are Particles?
A particle is a small portion of matter.
What Is The Particle Theory of Matter?
The particle theory of matter is the scientific model that describes the structure of matter.
This activity explored one postulate of the particle theory, that temperature affects the speed at which particles move.
The particle theory of matter states:
- All matter is made up of particles
- All particles are in constant motion
- All particles of one substance are identical
- Temperature affects the speed at which particles move
- Particles attract each other
Materials
- 2 glass cups
- Cold and hot water
- Food colouring
How to Do The States of Matter Experiment
Step 1
Fill one cup halfway with hot water and the second cup with cold water.
Step 2
Take a moment to allow the movement of water to stop once pouring it in the cups.
Step 3
Make a prediction! How do you think the food colouring will move differently between the hot and cold water?
Add several drops of food colouring into both cups. Observe the speed at which the water absorbs the food colouring, record your observations!
STEM Q for You: Was your prediction correct? What was the movement of particles in each cup? … The food colouring should have absorbed faster into the hot water than the cold water. This is because the particles in the hot water are moving at a faster rate while the particles in the cold cup of water are moving at a slow rate!
What Happened?
In this activity you observed how the temperature of water affected the speed at which the water absorbed the food colouring.
You also observed that the particles were in constant motion!
What Happened in the Cold Cup?
The particles of the cold water were grouped together and moving at a slow speed. This caused the water to absorb the food colouring at a slow rate.
What Happened in the Hot Cup of Water?
The particles in the hot water were moving at a fast speed and spreading out. This allowed the water to absorb the food colouring within seconds.
