Which statement best describes how particles move in the three common states of matter?

Which statement best describes how particles move in the three common states of matter?

• A. In a solid, particles move freely; in a liquid they vibrate; in a gas they are tightly packed.
• B. In a solid, particles vibrate in place; in a liquid they slide past each other; in a gas they move freely.
• C. In a solid, particles slide past each other; in a liquid they are fixed; in a gas they can't move.
• D. In a solid, particles are far apart; in a liquid they are in a fixed lattice; in a gas they vibrate.

Answer: (B)

Particles move with different freedom in the three common states of matter. In a solid, the particles stay in fixed positions and only vibrate in place, which helps a solid keep a definite shape. In a liquid, particles have enough energy to slide past one another, so they can flow and take the shape of their container while keeping a constant volume. In a gas, particles have even more energy and are far apart, so they move freely and spread out to fill the space available. This description matches the statement that solids vibrate in place, liquids slide past each other, and gases move freely. The other options mix up how the particles behave—for example, solids aren’t free-moving, liquids aren’t fixed in place, and gases aren’t tightly packed or immobile—so they don’t fit the real behavior of matter.

Particles move with different freedom in the three common states of matter. In a solid, the particles stay in fixed positions and only vibrate in place, which helps a solid keep a definite shape. In a liquid, particles have enough energy to slide past one another, so they can flow and take the shape of their container while keeping a constant volume. In a gas, particles have even more energy and are far apart, so they move freely and spread out to fill the space available.

This description matches the statement that solids vibrate in place, liquids slide past each other, and gases move freely. The other options mix up how the particles behave—for example, solids aren’t free-moving, liquids aren’t fixed in place, and gases aren’t tightly packed or immobile—so they don’t fit the real behavior of matter.