state of matter
- noun
- /steɪt əv ˈmætər/
- Specialized
- But early fusion research identified a new state of matter which has been dubbed 'plasma'.
- different states of matter
It's a state of matter like gas, liquid, or solid.
- It's a state of matter like gas, liquid, or solid.
- So if you think about solid, liquid gas, plasma is the fourth of those states of matter.
- And so we say that that's a a state of matter that forms spontaneously.
- That space-time might have corresponding states of matter going on within them.
- And if we find a denser state of matter that's Earth stable, you then have a smaller gamma shield.
- So there are various states of matter.
- We learn that gravity knows about its own quantum states, that it knows about the quantum states of matter.
Examples
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So plasma is the fourth state of matter.
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Collisions between high-energy beams of gold nuclei are providing a glimpse of hot, dense states of matter reminiscent of the Big Bang.
Academic text (2003) -
It's a state of matter like gas, liquid, or solid.
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Instead, water occurs in all three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas.
Academic text (2007) -
The scrutiny of this new state of matter promises to answer some of the key questions of nuclear and particle physics.
Academic text (2003) -
And water has a triple point of atmospheric pressure and temperature where all states, three states of matter can coexist happily.
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Water can exist in three distinct states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas.
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Plasma is often referred to as the fourth state of matter alongside solid, liquid, and gas.
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Scientists are studying various states of matter to understand their specific physical properties.
Synonyms
A form that a substance can have, for example solid, liquid or gas
How Mobile
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'state' (a form or condition) combined with 'matter' (physical substance) yields 'state of matter' (the form in which a substance exists). This noun-of-noun construction is regular and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the parts will readily infer the phrase's meaning.
Etymology
State of matter comes from the idea of a state as the condition of matter. Think of water becoming ice, liquid or steam: the same matter changes its state to 'solid', 'liquid', or 'gas', so the phrase means the form that a material is in.