Solids, liquids, gases & how they transform
The 'classical' states of matter (solid, liquid, gas, plasma) "are distinguished by changes in specific heat capacity, pressure & temperature" (Wikipedia)Pic: Transitions between the four fundamental states of matter - this is mostly what Johnny is talking about (Wikipedia)There's LOADS of other states of matter (modern & high-energy), but you don't see them lying around, e.g. they're made in stars or particle accelerators (Wikipedia)A 'Bose-Einstein condensate' is an example of a modern state of matter (Encyclopaedia Britannica)What is a solid? (Wikipedia)What is a liquid? (Wikipedia)What is a gas? (Wikipedia)What is plasma? (Wikipedia)What is steam? (Wikipedia)What is vapour? (Wikipedia)What is a cloud? A mass of water droplets, ice crystals, or a mix of both, suspended in the air (Encyclopaedia Britannica)The anatomy of a rain drop (Precipitation Education, NASA)The different states of matter have different properties (Purdue Science, Department of Chemistry)The different states of matter have different properties (Bitesize, BBC)State changes usually involve heating, cooling or changes in pressure (Bitesize, BBC)What is freezing or solidification? The point where any liquid turns into a solid, not just water (Wikipedia)What is boiling? (ChemWiki, UC Davis)The Fahrenheit, Kelvin & Celsius temperature scales (Department of Physics, University of Oregon)What is melting point? (Wikipedia)Some famous temperatures in Celsius, Kelvin & Fahrenheit (Wikipedia)The Fahrenheit scale (Wikipedia)The Kelvin scale (Wikipedia)What is absolute zero? (Encyclopaedia Britannica)The journey to the other side of absolute zero (IFL Science)Mercury melts at -38.87 & boils at 356.58 degrees Celsius (ChemicalElements.com)What does frozen mercury look like? (TauFlederMaus, YouTube)Mercury in the food chain (Government of Canada)Quicksilver is another name for mercury (Wikipedia)Freezing a Koosh ball in liquid nitrogen (Jefferson Lab, YouTube)Eau-Di-Vie offers martinis cooled by liquid nitrogen (Eau-Di-Vie)Gelato flash frozen by liquid nitrogen (N2 Extreme Gelato)Condensation means going backwards from gas to liquid (Wikipedia)How is lava created? (Wonderopolis)Sublimation means going straight from a solid to a gas (Wikipedia)Snow & ice can 'sublime' (Wikipedia)Gif: Atoms/molecules in solids (touching, can't move), liquids (touching, can move), gases (not touching, moving) (Purdue Science, Department of Chemistry)Pic: Atoms/molecules in solids (touching, can't move), liquids (touching, can move), gases (not touching, moving) (Bitesize, BBC)CarlCox.comGlastonbury FestivalWhat is gas diffusion & effusion? (Boundless)Energy, vibrations & bonding during phase changes (Zona Land Education)What is a joule? (Wikipedia)From zeptojoules to yottajoules: Definitions of what different amounts of joules do (Wikipedia)What is a calorie? (Wikipedia)Water's temperature curve is linear except at the phase changes from ice to liquid to gas (Boundless)Phase changes & energy conservation: Temperature increases linearly until melting & boiling points (Boundless)A 'phase' of matter is a "region of space throughout which all physical properties of a material are essentially uniform" (Wikipedia)A 'phase' of matter is different to a 'state' of matter: A system can contain several phases of the same state of matter (Wikipedia)The law of conservation of energy in simple terms (Explain That Stuff!)When you do a reverse phase change, e.g. liquid to solid, energy is released (Boundless)What is entropy? (Science 2.0)Entropy is simple - if we avoid the briar patches! (Frank L. Lambert, Professor Emeritus, Chemistry)"In solids, atoms are bonded fairly firmly together, though they do move about a bit" (Explain That Stuff!)Electrons can travel in a solid even if the atoms can't (e.g. in conductors) (HyperPhysics, Georgia State University)Conductors, insulators & electron flow: Appears to support Johnny's electricity story about "holes moving down the wire at walking pace" (All About Circuits)Electrons only move about 1.2 cm per minute in standard home copper wire (Department of Physics, Union University)What is an electron hole?Debating how many molecules make a droplet (Physics Forums)Debating how steam is invisible vs water vapour (The Naked Scientists)Why is a steam burn more damaging than a burn with boiling water of the same temperature? (UCSB Science Line)The 'Mpemba' effect: In some circumstances warmer water may freeze faster than colder water (Wikipedia)Does hot water freeze faster than cold water? (livescience)The phase diagram for water is different than for other substances (chemguide)The phase diagram for water is different than for other substances (Chem Wiki)Water is weird: Its solid is less dense than its liquid - i.e. ice floats in liquid water - other stuff doesn't do this (Wikipedia)Water is weird: Its solid is less dense than its liquid - i.e. ice floats in liquid water - other stuff doesn't do this (Boundless)Clip: What if ice didn't float? Explained by chemist Martyn Poliakoff (The Huffington Post)What is liquefaction? (Wikipedia)Clip: The amazing Richard Feynman talks magnets (nebulajr, YouTube)How does a glacier move? It sounds like ice under pressure creating lubricating melt water does play a role (Geology.com)Johnny's heavy egg vs light jelly bean shaking experiment sounds legit (APS Physics)'Granular convection' & the Brazil Nut Effect: Why the biggest nuts rise to the top (io9)What is vaping? (Vaper Soul)The 1755 Lisbon earthquake (Wikipedia)What was left of Lisbon was demolished & rebuilt according to modern urban design at the time (Wikipedia)The rebuilding of Lisbon involved one of the first uses of pre-fabricated buildings (History)The Anglo-Portugese treaty dates back to the 1300s...until Brexit? (Wikipedia)Quicksand science: Why it traps & how to escape (National Geographic)What is a non-Newtonian fluid? Examples include honey, cream & tomato sauce (Science Learning Hub)What is pitch? (Wikipedia)The pitch drop experiment: Watch for the tenth drop live! (The University of Queensland)The ‘glass is a liquid’ myth has finally been destroyed (io9)What is steampunk? (The Huffington Post)NealStephenson.comJumpin' Jack Flash is a gas, gas, gas (Menmo Music Station, YouTube)The Leidenfrost effect: Not really related to our chat, just cool - it's why balls of water zip around on a hot surface (Wikipedia)Corrections
Water vapour is not steam: "Vapour refers to a gas phase at a temperature where the same substance can also exist in the liquid or solid state, below the critical temperature of the substance", "A liquid or solid does not have to boil to release a vapour" (Wikipedia)Debating the finer points between vapour, steam & gas (Quora)Johnny's definition of Celsius was used until 1954. The current version is "the unit 'degree Celsius' & the Celsius scale are currently defined by two different temperatures: absolute zero, & the triple point of VSMOW (specially purified water)" (Wikipedia)Probably best not to swirl your finger around in mercury kids, just in case (WHO)Nitrogen gas makes up 78% of our atmosphere, not 74% (Wikipedia)Nitrogen melts at -209.9 & boils at -195.8 degrees Celsius (ChemicalElements.com)Sorry Johnny, Ashford & Simpson sang Solid As A Rock, not Tina Turner (Fox News Entertainment)Clarifying Johnny's definitions of solid, liquid & gas by volume & shape (Glen Research Center, NASA)It's 1 calorie that raises 1cm^3 by 1 degree Celsius at 1 atmosphere, not 1 joule. However, this is an older definition & a calorie is now defined in joules (Encyclopaedia Britannica)There appears to be conjecture that entropy should be associated with 'randomness'...but it's over my head so I'll leave it there for now (Science 2.0)Sorry Johnny, there may be a new theory about why ice is slippery & how ice skating works - frictional heating - but the jury is still out (Wikipedia)Cheeky review? (If we may be so bold)
It'd be amazing if you gave us a short review...it'll make us easier to find in iTunes: Click here for instructions. You're the best! We owe you a free hug and/or a glass of wine from our cellar