Definition:State of Matter

This page is about State of Matter. For other uses, see State.

Definition

Matter can be in one of the following states:

Solid

A body is solid if and only if it retains its volume and has a well-definable shape without the need for a container.

Liquid

A body is liquid if and only if it retains its volume, but in order to maintain a specific shape it needs a container.

Gas

A body is gas if and only if it can be contained only if it is fully surrounded by a solid, or in a bubble of liquid, or held together by gravitational pull.

Plasma

A body is plasma if and only if it consists of partially ionized gas and electrons.

Also see

• Results about states of matter can be found here.