View Full Version : 4th state of matter
Dania Rahman
May 13, 2007, 12:20 PM
What is the definition of the 4th state of matter?
Capuchin
May 13, 2007, 12:32 PM
The most familiar examples of states of matter are solids, liquids, and gases; the most common state of matter in the universe is plasma. Less familiar phases include: quark-gluon plasma; Bose-Einstein condensates and fermionic condensates; strange matter; superfluids and supersolids, and possibly string-net liquids.
They aren't really numbered, so which one is the 4th is really not defined. Your teacher is probably looking for Plasma.
SameOldSituation
May 14, 2007, 09:29 AM
If you want some more info on "plasma," check out:
Plasma (physics) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_%28physics%29)
It might give you a definition of what plasma is.
Where I work, we use Argon gas, an RF (radiofrequency) generator, and a spark to generate plasma. Electrons get knocked off, and the Ar becomes Ar+. Ionized matter.