Water can exist in three different states: solid, liquid, and gas. Here are some key characteristics of each state:
-
Solid: Water in its solid state is known as ice or snow. When water freezes, its molecules move farther apart, making ice less dense than water. This means that ice will be lighter than the same volume of water, and so ice will float in water. Water freezes at 0° Celsius, 32° Fahrenheit.
-
Liquid: Liquid water is wet and fluid. This is the form of water with which we are most familiar. We use liquid water in many ways, including washing and drinking. Under standard conditions for temperature and pressure (STP), water exists in the liquid state in the temperature range of 0-100 degrees Celsius.
-
Gas: Water as a gas, also known as water vapor, is always present in the air around us. When you boil water, the water changes from a liquid to a gas or water vapor. As some of the water vapor cools, we see it as a small cloud called steam. This cloud of steam is a mini-version of the clouds we see in the sky. At sea level, steam is formed at 100° Celsius, 212° Fahrenheit. The water vapor attaches to small bits of dust in the air. It forms raindrops in the clouds, which eventually fall to the ground as precipitation.
