A physical change can be caused by altering the shape, size, or state of a substance without changing its chemical composition. Common ways to cause a physical change include:
- Changing the state of matter by heating or cooling, such as melting, freezing, boiling, or condensing.
- Changing the shape or size by cutting, bending, crushing, or tearing.
- Dissolving a solid in a liquid, such as sugar in water.
- Separating mixtures by physical means like filtration, distillation, or sieving.
These changes affect physical properties but do not create new substances. For example, melting ice to water or tearing a piece of paper are physical changes because only the form changes, not the substance itself.