States of Matter

Physics can be fascinating, especially when you understand it. And while that’s not always the case, a basic concept such as the states of matter, is surely something that most of us can grasp. But while everyone knows about liquids, solids and gases, not everyone gets to look closely at what happens to an element or compound when they change state. And when I say close, I mean molecular level.

Well, you can do this (sort of) with a very cool application called States of Matter.

Basically, States of Matter is the kind of application that will make you say “man, I would have liked physics more in school if they used this to teach us.” This means that the program is created for teachers first and foremost, so you can’t really expect to learn too much if you use the app by yourself.

States of Matter can be described as a simulation-animation-application, where you have your crudely drawn laboratory that’s really just a container. Inside it you’ll find atoms and molecules, which can be neon, argon, oxygen or water. As expected, you’ll be able to instantly change their state to solid, liquid or gas (sorry, plasma fans) and watch how the colorful molecules react when subjected to extreme heat or cold.

From the program’s second tab (titled “Phase Change”) you can add more molecules in the container and more pressure by pushing down the lid with a finger. Put too much pressure on the atoms and (spoiler!) the lid blows off. Don’t worry, there’s no blood and you can easily reset all the parameters. Also, you should keep an eye on the pressure-temperature diagram that responds in real time.

Finally, in the third tab, you can make individual atoms interact by bouncing them into one another. It’s easy to conclude that States of Matter is a great application that can make studying physics more fun.