how many state of matter
Most school-level science says there are three main states of matter: solid, liquid and gas.
However, that’s only the beginning.
Quick Scoop: How many states of matter?
If you mean “everyday, classical” states, you usually count:
- Solid – fixed shape and volume (like ice or metal).
- Liquid – fixed volume, but takes the shape of its container (like water or oil).
- Gas – no fixed shape or volume, spreads to fill space (like air or helium).
Many modern sources also teach a fourth fundamental state:
- Plasma – very hot, ionized gas found in stars, lightning, some TVs.
So a very common “headline answer” in 2020s science explainers is: four fundamental states of matter: solid, liquid, gas, plasma.
Beyond the basics: more than four?
When you zoom out to all the weird and extreme physics, the answer grows:
- Quark–gluon plasma – an ultra‑hot state where protons and neutrons “melt” into their quark and gluon parts; created in powerful particle colliders.
- Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) – matter cooled so close to absolute zero that many atoms behave like one “super‑atom.”
- Fermionic condensate – similar ultra‑cold state but with fermions (like certain atoms) pairing up and acting collectively.
- Physicists also talk about various “exotic” and “topological” states and even “time crystals,” which are special ordered phases allowed by quantum physics.
One physics article sums it up as seven known states of matter in a strict sense (solid, liquid, gas, plasma, quark–gluon plasma, Bose–Einstein condensate, fermionic condensate).
Why different answers exist
There’s no single official “final list.”
- For school / everyday life , people usually say 3 (solid, liquid, gas) or 4 (including plasma).
- For modern physics , you add several extreme or quantum states (like quark‑gluon plasma and condensates), so some scientists and writers talk about 7 or more.
- On forums, physicists often point out that making a complete list is tricky, because “state of matter” is partly a naming choice and new phases keep being discovered.
A neat way to think of it is:
“Three or four” for everyday life,
“seven plus” if you include exotic lab and cosmic conditions.
Mini table: common counts people use
| Context | Typical number | What they include |
|---|---|---|
| School science | 3 | Solid, liquid, gas | [8][3]
| Basic modern popular science | 4 | Solid, liquid, gas, plasma | [10][3][4]
| “Extended” physics explainers | 7 | 3 basics + plasma + quark–gluon plasma + Bose–Einstein condensate + fermionic condensate | [5]
| Research / forum discussions | “many” | Includes exotic and topological phases, no fixed final number | [1][6][7]
Bottom line
- If your question is for school or a quick fact , you can safely answer: 4 states of matter: solid, liquid, gas and plasma.
- If you want the full modern physics flavor , say that there are several more exotic states (like quark–gluon plasma and Bose–Einstein condensates) , so scientists recognize more than four states of matter under extreme conditions.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.
