Solid
A
solid is a
phase of
matter characterized by resistance to
deformation and to changes of
volume.
At the microscopic scale, a solid has these properties:
* The
atoms or
molecules that comprise the solid are packed close together.
* These constituent elements have fixed
positions in
space relative to each other. This accounts for the solid's rigidity.
** If sufficient force is applied, either of these properties can be violated, causing permanent deformation.
* Because any solid has some
thermal energy, its atoms vibrate. However, this movement is very small and very rapid, and cannot be observed under ordinary conditions.
The branch of
physics that deals with solids is called
solid-state physics, and is a type of
condensed matter physics.
Materials science is primarily concerned with properties of solids such as strength and
phase transformations. It overlaps strongly with solid state physics.
Solid-state chemistry overlaps both of these fields, but is especially concerned with the synthesis of novel materials.
The lightest known solid is man-made and is called
aerogel. The lightest aerogel produced has a density of 1.9
mg per cm
3 or 1.9
kg/m
3 (526.3 times lighter than water).
*
List of phases of matter*
Cooling curve
