Plasma: The Fourth State of Matter

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Plasma The Fourth State of Matter
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What Do You Know?

• Describe the 3 states of matter using water as an
  example and discuss how water changes from state
  to state.
• What causes this change of state?
• What is happening on an atomic scale?

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States of Matter

• 3 states of mater
• Solid water freezes it turns into ice. Solids
  do not change shape easily
• Gas when the water boils it vaporizes. Gases
  move very fast
• Liquid move slowly

• What causes the change of shape?
• Heat
• Cold
• Temperature

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What happens at an atomic level?

• Atoms are always vibrating
• The hotter substances the more the atoms vibrate.
• The cooler the substance the less the atoms
  vibrate.

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What is happening on an atomic scale?

• Removing or adding heat causes the motion of
  atoms to change.
• The hotter substance the more the atoms move.
• The colder the substance the less the atoms move.

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The 3 States of Matter Activity

• Add 100mL of water to your beaker
• Drop the chunk into the water
• Observe the reaction and find the 3 states of
  matter.
• Write 1 sentence to describe each state of matter
  in your beaker

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On an Atomic Scale Solids

• The molecules/atoms in a solid are bonded
  together and cannot change their position.
• This allows a solid to maintain its shape without
  a container.

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On an Atomic Scale Liquids

• The liquid bonds are strong enough to hold the
  molecule/atoms together but weak enough that they
  can slide along the surface of neighboring atoms
• Liquids have no shape and can only maintain the
  shape of their container.

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On an Atomic Scale Gases

• Although the bonds that hold the molecules of gas
  together are strong, the bonds that hold them
  next to each other are very weak.
• The bonds that hold the molecules together are
  too weak to hold them next to each other,
  allowing gas molecules to drift apart randomly.

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What are the Driving Force of all Changes of
matter?

• Energy
• Adding Energy breaks bonds
• Adding Energy speeds the motion of molecules

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Plasma, the Fourth State of Matter

• The bonds that held gas molecules together are
  broken and even the electrons surrounding the
  nucleus of atoms are broken free
• Positively charged nuclei and negatively charged
  electrons zooming about in random patterns

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Characteristics of Plasma

• The most abundant form of matter in the universe
• Behaves like a gas, BUT
• An overall neutral state of matter
• Components are charged ions (positive and
  negative)

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Naturally occurring Plasma
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Man-made Plasma

• Energy is added to a system
• Molecules are broken apart into their individual
  atoms
• Electrons are stripped from their nuclei
• Used for lighting, precision cutting, nuclear
  research and fusion power

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So Whats the difference between a gas and plasma?

• Gas is electrically neutral throughout and is
  used as an electrical insulator
• Plasma is electrically charged and used as a
  conductor of electricity