Key Stage 3
Meaning
Kinetic Theory is a theory that explains the properties of matter by the motion of the particles it is made from.
About Kinetic Theory
- Kinetic Theory explains the properties of solids, liquids and gases as well as explaining the state changes from one to another.
- Kinetic Theory can be used to explain what happens to matter when it is heated.
Kinetic Theory and Temperature
- The higher the temperature of a material the faster the particles in that material vibrate and move.
- When a solid is heated the particles vibrate faster and when they collide with each other they push one another further apart. This causes a solid to expand when it is heated.
- If a solid is heated enough the bonds, holding the particles in fixed positions, break allowing the particles to move past each other, turning the solid into a liquid.
- When a liquid is heated the particles move around faster and collide with each other with a greater force causing the liquid to expand when it is heated.
- If a liquid is heated enough the particles can move so fast that they escape the bonds holding the particles to each other which allows them to leave the liquid to become part of a gas.