Difference Between Solid Liquid and Gas with Definitions

Everything that you see around you like air, water, animals, clothes and more, is made up of matter. Also, matter refers to the collection of particles and has mass as well as occupies space. Thus, you see, there are three basic states of matter known as solid, liquid and gas. These different states of matter are because of the differences in their molecules. For instance, solids have a definite shape and size. On the other hand, liquids are flexible and will take the shape of the container they are in. Finally, gases diffuse to fill up the available volume completely. This is why it is important to know the difference between solid liquid and gas to understand them better.

Definition of Solid

Solids are the kind of matter having a rigid structure opposing the change in their shape and volume. The particles in them are bound tightly and well-arranged in a regular pattern. Its particle will constantly vibrate and twist but won’t show any motion as they are tightly-knit. They have fixed shapes with maximum intermolecular attraction. Moreover, the compression is quite tough as their molecules have very fewer spaces between them.

Definition of Liquid

Liquids are free-flowing substances, They have a constant volume with no definite shape. Thus, they take up the shape of the container they are in. The small particles in them are held tightly by intermolecular bonds. To understand the difference between solid liquid and gas, it is important to know their properties. The surface tension of liquids makes it posses minimum surface area.

Definition of Gas

Gas is a state of matter which diffuses freely in all directions. Thus, they fill up the entire space available irrespective of the quantity. The particles it contains do not have a specific shape and volume. Their molecules are loosely held making a lot of space between them to move freely and continually.

Difference Between Solid Liquid and Gas

difference between solid liquid and gas

Important Difference between Solid Liquid and Gas

Solid	Liquid	Gas
It is a form of matter having a rigid structure and firm shape	They are substances flowing freely with no permanent shape but a definite volume	Gas is a state of matter which does not have a shape but takes the shape of the container you put it in
It has the lowest energy	It has medium energy	They have the highest energy
These are hard to compress	You can compress them a little difficulty	These are easily compressible
It has a fixed shape plus volume	No fixed shape but they do have volume	They have neither definite shape nor volume
Molecules are regular and arranged closely	Randomly molecules arranged sparsely	Their molecules are random and arranged more sparsely
They have very less intermolecular space	They have more intermolecular space	These have the most intermolecular space
They cannot flow	These flow from a higher level to lower	They flow in all directions
They do not require a container for storage	These require a container for storage	These require a close container for storage
They have the maximum intermolecular attraction	These have a medium intermolecular attraction	They have the lowest intermolecular attraction

More details about Solid

Solids have a definite volume and can diffuse into liquids. Moreover, their compressibility is negligible. They have high density and the least amount of interparticle space.

The interparticle force of attraction is very strong in them. Further, they have the least kinetic energy. Finally, their molecules are packed in a definite pattern.

More details about Liquid

Liquids have a definite volume with strong intermolecular forces. Further, the diffusion is higher when we compare them to solids. Moreover, they have a moderate density.

In addition, they flow easily as they are less rigid. In fact, the kinetic energy of particles at a certain temperature in liquids is higher than solids.