You may have heard someone use the figure of speech “slower than molasses in winter” to describe a process that occurs slowly. Explain why this is an apt idiom, using concepts of molecular size and shape, molecular interactions, and the effect of changing temperature.
Liquids - Intro
A liquid is a nearly incompressible fluid that conforms to the shape of its container but retains a (nearly) constant volume independent of pressure. As such, a liquid is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, gas and plasma). A liquid is made up of tiny vibrating particles of matter, such as atoms, held together by intermolecular bonds. Water is, by far, the most common liquid on Earth. Like a gas, a liquid is able to flow and take the shape of a container. Most liquids resist compression, although others can be compressed. Unlike a gas, a liquid does not disperse to fill every space of a container, and maintains a fairly constant density. A distinctive property of the liquid state is surface tension, leading to wetting phenomena.
Comparison Of Gases Liquids And Solids
A liquid is a state of matter in which a substance changes its shape easily and takes the form of its container, and in which the substance retains a constant volume independent of pressure. As a result of this, a liquid does not maintain a definite shape, and its volume is variable. The characteristic properties of a liquid are surface tension, viscosity, and capillarity. The liquid state has a definite volume, but it also has a definite surface. The volume is uniform throughout the whole of the liquid. Solids have a fixed shape and a definite volume, but they do not have a definite surface. The volume of a solid does not vary, but the volume of a liquid may vary.
