States of Matter- Basics 7.0

States of Matter - Basics is a physics simulation tool. It is written in Java, so it will run on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X, and even modern web browsers can play it, without any installation needed. This simulation deals with the various states of matter. As you may know, matter can be in three states: liquid, gas or solid. In this simulation, you can study atoms and molecules and observe what happens to them when heat or cold is applied.

In the simulation, you will see a bucket filled with atoms of a Neon. You can change the element to Argon, Oxygen and Water. Furthermore, you can change the state the matter is in. At the top of the bucket there is a thermometer and at the bottom - a source of either heat or cold, which you can change by sliding the bar. When you apply heat to a solid matter, it will become liquid. If you apply heat to the liquid, it will become a gas. It is very easy to see how that happens with the water molecule.

There is another mode, called Phase Changes, which adds the concept of pressure. In this mode, the atoms are in a covered lid, and you can lower the lid to increase the pressure of the circuit, which will have dramatic effects.

In short, this is a very illustrative simulation by PheT. It is easy to understand and is very well done.