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Diagram showing four physical states of matter: solid with tightly packed molecules, liquid with loosely packed molecules, gas with widely spaced molecules, and plasma with free electrons and nuclei, each labeled with descriptions and an arrow indicating increasing energy. A side-by-side diagram compares atomic motion in a liquid and a solid; the liquid shows atoms with tangled, overlapping paths, while the solid shows atoms vibrating in fixed, orderly positions. Diagram showing the phase changes of matter with three circles labeled solid, liquid, and gas. Arrows indicate transitions: melting and freezing between solid and liquid, evaporation and condensation between liquid and gas, and sublimation and deposition between solid and gas. An illustration shows an ice cube labeled solid, a puddle labeled liquid, and rising steam labeled gas, representing the three states of matter: ice, water, and water vapor, with the sun in the background.
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Diagram showing four physical states of matter: solid with tightly packed molecules, liquid with loosely packed molecules, gas with widely spaced molecules, and plasma with free electrons and nuclei, each labeled with descriptions and an arrow indicating increasing energy.
states of matter States of matter.

solid

state of matter
Also known as: solid state
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solid, one of the three basic states of matter, the others being liquid and gas. (Sometimes plasmas, or ionized gases, are considered a fourth state of matter.) A solid forms from liquid or gas because the energy of atoms decreases when the atoms take up a relatively ordered, three-dimensional structure. Solids exhibit certain characteristics that distinguish them from liquids and gases. All solids have, for example, the ability to resist forces applied either perpendicular or...

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