Established 2026  ·  Free Educational Resources for All

🧪 States of Matter Lab

Heat or cool a substance and watch its particles change from solid to liquid to gas in real time. Want the full theory first? Read States of Matter and Changes.

🧪 Every substance is made of tiny particles that behave differently depending on temperature. Pick a substance, drag the temperature slider, and watch what its particles actually do.

How This Works
  1. Pick a substance. Water, ethanol (rubbing alcohol) and iron all change state at very different temperatures — that's the point.
  2. Drag the temperature slider. The chamber below updates instantly to show what the particles are doing at that exact temperature.
  3. Watch the particles:
    • ❄️ Solid — particles vibrate in place, locked in a fixed pattern.
    • 💧 Liquid — particles move freely but stay pulled toward the bottom of the chamber.
    • 💨 Gas — particles move fast and spread out to fill the entire chamber.
  4. Cross a threshold and see the message. Passing the melting point or boiling point triggers a message telling you exactly what just happened and why.
Tip: try Iron first and drag the slider all the way up — you'll need far more heat than you'd expect before it even starts to melt.

Choose a substance:

🌡️ 20°C
State: —
Drag the slider to heat or cool the substance.