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MATTER
MATTER
According
to modern physics, matter consists of various types of particles, each with
mass and size.
Matter can exist in several states, also called phases. The three most
common states are known as solid, liquid and gas. A single element or
compound of matter might exist in more than one of the three states,
depending on the temperature and pressure. Less familiar states of matter
include plasma, foam and Bose-Einstein condensate. These states occur
under special conditions.
Different kinds of matter can combine to form substances that may not
resemble any of the original ingredients. For example, hydrogen (a gaseous
element) and oxygen (another gaseous element) combine to form water (a
liquid compound at room temperature). The process of such combination is
called a chemical reaction. A chemical reaction involves interactions between
the electrons of the atoms, but does not affect the nuclei of the atoms.
where E is the energy in joules, m is the mass in kilograms, and c is the speed
of light, which is approximately 2.99792 x 10 8 meters per second in
a vacuum.