Is Fire or Electricity Considered a State of Matter?

In summary: This is not to be confused with the real African rainstick, which is made of different materials and has different properties). In summary, fire is a plasma, and electricity is the motion of electrons.
  • #1
ubergewehr273
142
5
Is there any state of matter for fire or electricity ?
If yes, then what is the state of matter ?
 
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  • #2
Fire is a plasma, and electricity is the motion of electrons, it's not a "state".
 
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  • #3
Matterwave said:
Fire is a plasma, and electricity is the motion of electrons, it's not a "state".

"Fire" is mostly neutral gas molecules, the fire in a fireplace is gas with suspended luminescent particles. A flame on a gas stove is a mixture of stable and reactive gas-phase species (the blue color comes from emission from C2 and CH molecules). Most of the components of a flame are neutral species. There are some ionized species, but these are in very low concentration.
 
  • #4
For the most part, fire is is just gas that's red-hot.
If you get a gas really really incredibly hot it will turn into a plasma. You can tell the difference depending on how it reacts to light and magnetism. (a plasma is electrically conducting, and so is opaque, though being red hot anyway, this would be hard to test by trying to look through it (a laser might be useful, though)). You can bend plasma with magnetic fields, too.

There are many states of matter, but there are a few well recognized phases of matter.

There's the usual solid, liquid, and gas
But there's also (on the hot end), ordinary plasmas (when electrons are no longer bound to nuclei), and quark-gluon plasmas (when protons, neutrons, and their constituents are no longer bound together as nuclei)
On the cold end, there are Bose-Einstein condensates. These are gases so cold that the individual atoms all share the same ground state, and act as though they are described by one wavefunction like a giant atom.

As far as electricity goes, you can describe it at least theoretically as a gas of particles moving through an idealized African rainstick.
 
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  • #5


I can confidently say that fire and electricity are not considered states of matter. States of matter refer to the physical forms that matter can exist in, such as solid, liquid, and gas. Fire and electricity are forms of energy, not matter, and therefore do not have a state. Fire is a chemical reaction that produces light and heat, while electricity is the flow of electrons. Both of these phenomena can interact with matter and change its state, but they themselves are not considered states of matter.
 

FAQ: Is Fire or Electricity Considered a State of Matter?

1. What are the three states of matter?

The three states of matter are solid, liquid, and gas. These states are determined by the arrangement and movement of particles in a substance.

2. Can a substance exist in more than one state of matter?

Yes, some substances can exist in multiple states of matter depending on temperature and pressure. For example, water can exist as a solid (ice), liquid, or gas (water vapor).

3. How does temperature affect the state of matter?

Temperature affects the state of matter by changing the amount of energy in the particles. As temperature increases, particles gain more energy and can break apart from each other, causing a change in state.

4. What is the difference between a physical and chemical change in states of matter?

A physical change in states of matter involves a change in the arrangement or movement of particles without any chemical reactions occurring. A chemical change, on the other hand, involves a change in the chemical composition of the substance.

5. Can a substance change directly from a solid to a gas?

Yes, this process is called sublimation. It occurs when a solid substance gains enough energy to break apart from its solid structure and become a gas without passing through the liquid state.

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