Answer
Solids, in containers, stay in their own fixed shape; liquids have varying shapes and take the form of the container they are in, but only fill the container as much as their volume allows; gasses have no fixed shape and completely fill whatever container they are in. a) Helium, a gas at room temperature, in a toy balloon would conform to the balloons shape and inflate the container. b) Mercury, a liquid at room temperature, would fill a thermometer according to its volume and would conform to the shape of the thermometer. c) Soup in a bowl, at room temperature, would act as a liquid and would contour to the shape of the bowl and fill it according to its volume.
Work Step by Step
The particles in a solid lie very close together three-dimensionally. It is structurally characterized as rigid due to the close proximity of its particles. In a liquid, the particles lie close to one another, but move frequently, causing the absence of liquids fixed shapes. However, liquid particles are conformed to the amount of volume in the liquid itself, and therefore have an upper surface, or meniscus. Gaseous particles are positioned very independently from one another and move more frequently than liquid particles and at more vast distances. Gasses are uncontained unless captured in a container and are naturally unlimited in movement.
