The kinetic particle model of matter, temperature, thermal expansion, specific heat capacity and the gas laws.
The kinetic particle model
All matter is made of particles in constant motion. The states differ in arrangement and movement:
| State | Arrangement | Movement | Forces |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid | regular, close-packed | vibrate about fixed points | strong |
| Liquid | close, irregular | move/slide past each other | weaker |
| Gas | far apart, random | fast, free, random | very weak |
Heating a substance gives particles more kinetic energy, so they move faster (and a gas exerts more pressure). Brownian motion — the random jittering of smoke particles in air — is evidence that gas particles move randomly and collide.
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