(upbeat music) Hello scientists, I'm Courtney Cochran.

This is Lucy and we're here today to talk to you about matter.

Now, you've probably heard the word matter before.

When people tell you that you matter, right?

Well, today we're using the word just a little differently, because matter is the term that we use in science to describe the stuff that everything or almost everything is made of.

This table and this bowl are made of matter.

Lucy, she's made of matter.

I'm made of matter.

You're made of matter.

Even the air we breathe is made of matter.

Now, Lucy, can you think of maybe a couple of things that aren't made of matter?

Maybe my thoughts or my feelings?

Oh, very good examples.

Those are things that aren't made of matter.

Now, here's the coolest thing about matter.

It can exist in different states.

And we're going to talk about some of those states today.

The first main state of matter is the solid state.

And if you look over here, we've got some ice in its solid state.

Now, you know something is solid if you push on it and it doesn't change.

If you throw it, you drop it, it doesn't change.

Sure, it might break into pieces, but those pieces are still solid.

This ice, if I drop it on the ground, it might break into smaller pieces of ice.

But those small pieces of ice are still solid ice.

The second main state of matter is liquid.

We've got some liquid right here.

And, you know, that matter is in its liquid state if it takes the shape of the container that it's in.

So this water right here is taking the shape of the pitcher that it's in.

Lucy, will you help me pour it into this bowl and let's put on our safety glasses for safety.

Thank you.

Okay, let's pour that water into the bowl.

Good job.

That's why we have our safety glasses on.

The water is now taking this shape of the bowl that it's in.

And you know what?

If we poured it into this beaker, it would take the shape of this beaker.

That's how we know that this water is in its liquid state.

We also have the gas state to demonstrate for you today.

That's the third main state of matter.

We're going to use the gas in our lungs or the air to blow up these balloons and show you what happens.

Ready?

Go.

(air going into balloons) Oh, excellent job.

So no matter how much gas, how much gas or how little gas we add to the container, it fills up the entire space.

It doesn't leave any space behind like the liquid.

That's how we know that matter is in its gas state.

Now, the coolest thing about matter is that if we add enough energy, it could change into another state of matter.

We have our ice again, we're going to add energy in the form of heat to this ice.

And Lucy, what do you think is going to happen?

What's your hypothesis?

I think it will melt.

I think that's an interesting hypothesis.

Let's see if it's right.

(hair dryer blowing) Turn it off.

Great job.

See how much it melted?

We just turned that ice from its solid state of matter into its liquid state of matter.

Okay.

Now, let's see what happens when we add energy in the form of heat to our liquid state of matter.

Lucy, do you have any hypothesis on what is going to happen to this liquid?

I think there's going to be steam.

You think so?

Let's see if you're correct.

Wow.

Lucy, look at all that steam.

Your hypothesis was correct.

We changed the liquid to the gas, and for water, we changed to steam.

Excellent.

Wow.

Way to go, Lucy.

And way to go, everyone at home.

We just learned how to change solids to liquid and liquid to gas using energy.

Those are our three main states of matter.

Thanks for joining us today.

Keep exploring and discovering.

(upbeat music)