What if scientists discovered a new substance. ????

Question

What if scientists discovered a new substance. ????

it takes up the whole shape of its container. it has a small mass but a large volume it is colourless and odourless. How would you decide if it is a solid, a liquid or a gas ?

Answer 1

Use the properties of each.

SOLID: Remains rigid and does not fill a container unless a force is applied. Molecules are tightly locked together and not free to move.

LIQUID: Fills the container it's poured into. Molecules are fairly-loosely connected and free to move around.

GAS: Fills entire container it it occupies. Molecules are barely-connected (if at all) and totally free to move around.

Your mystery substance is a gas. Also because of the small mass/large volume (which makes sense for a gas) and the fact that it is colorless and odorless (which could work for all three forms, but makes more sense for gases). In fact, this describes water vapor pretty well.