wunder beta🔬 Matter Is Made of Particles
Everything around you is built from particles too tiny to see. Find out how they pack and move, and why smells drift across a room.
What you’ll learn
- Tiny Building BlocksUnderstand that all matter is made of particles too small to see.A sandcastle is made of grains, and all matter is like this but far tinier. The tiny pieces that make up everything are called particles. They are far too small to see, and everything is made of them.
- States and ParticlesDescribe how particles are arranged in solids, liquids, and gases.In a solid, particles are packed tight in a fixed pattern and keep their shape. In a liquid, they touch but slide, so it flows. In a gas, they are far apart and fly around freely, filling any space.
- Particles on the MoveExplain that air is made of particles and that diffusion spreads smells as particles move and mix.Air is real matter made of gas particles that push outward, like inside a balloon. Because particles are always moving, they spread out by diffusion — which is why the smell of baking bread reaches across a room.
Questions this course answers
What are all materials made of?
Everything is made of particles — tiny pieces far too small to see, much smaller than a grain of sand.
In a solid, how are the particles arranged?
In a solid the particles are packed tightly in a neat, fixed pattern, so a solid keeps its shape.
Which state has particles that are the most spread out and free?
Gas particles are the most spread out, flying around freely and filling any space they are in.
What is inside a balloon that keeps it stretched tight?
Air is real matter made of gas particles. They zoom around and push out on the rubber, keeping the balloon stretched.
You smell baking bread from another room. What is this spreading called?
Diffusion is when moving particles spread out through the air, carrying the smell all the way to your nose.
Why can smell particles travel across a whole room?
Gas particles are always moving, bouncing, and mixing, so smell particles spread through the gaps in the air until they fill the room.
Grounded in trusted sources
- Royal Society of Chemistry
- BBC Bitesize
- Britannica
- American Chemical Society
Every Wunder lesson is built from real, reputable sources — never invented.
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