Contributor: Samantha Penna. Lesson ID: 11756
What shape is water, or milk, or melted ice cream? What shape are these liquids when you put them into containers? When you spill them (by accident, of course!)? Find out with a scientific experiment!
Everything on the earth is made up of matter.
Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass.
The apple juice you saw above is a liquid.
Any object that is a liquid has atoms. Atoms and molecules (collections of atoms) make up everything on the earth.
The picture below shows the atoms and molecules in a liquid object.
The atoms and molecules in liquids stay close together, but not so close they can't move. Liquid atoms and molecules move around and bounce off of each other.
Think about what happens to liquids if you put them in a container or spill them.
The atoms and molecules stay close together and move around in liquid objects because liquids change their shape.
Think of a time you poured a drink into a glass. The liquid (drink) you poured takes the shape of a glass. If you knock over the glass, the liquid will flow in different directions.
Take a look at the cup below. The coffee spilled out of the cup, and the liquid flowed away.
Liquids flow easily, especially on surfaces that have a slope.
Move to the Got It? section to explore the liquid state of matter some more by watching a video and answering questions.