Ice, water and steam, and how water changes. Read, heat the beaker, sort, then play.
What it is
Water exists in three states: solid ice, liquid water, and gas (water vapour or steam).
Why it works
The same water can take any of these forms depending on how hot or cold it is, which is why it can be a hard cube, a flowing stream, or an invisible gas.
Why it matters
Understanding states explains ice, rain, clouds and steam all at once.
A few examples
Ice is solid. River water is liquid. Steam and vapour are gas.
What it is
Heating and cooling change water's state. Melting is ice to water, freezing is water to ice, evaporation is water to vapour, and condensation is vapour back to water.
Why it works
Adding heat loosens water into liquid and then gas, while removing heat packs it back into liquid and solid, so heat is the key to every change.
Why it matters
Naming these changes lets us describe what happens to water everywhere.
A few examples
Ice melts to water. Water freezes to ice. Water evaporates to vapour. Vapour condenses to water.
What it is
We can spot water in its solid, liquid and gas forms all around us and sort them.
Why it works
Recognising the state of water in ice, rivers and mist trains us to see the same substance in different forms.
Why it matters
This makes the idea of states real and easy to remember.
A few examples
Ice and snow are solid. Rivers and rain are liquid. Mist and steam are gas.
What it is
Water travels endlessly: the Sun evaporates it from seas and rivers, it condenses into clouds high up, and it falls back as rain. This is the water cycle.
Why it works
Because evaporation, condensation and rain repeat again and again, water is used over and over, never truly lost.
Why it matters
The water cycle brings us rain and keeps rivers and seas topped up.
A few examples
Sun evaporates water, clouds form by condensation, and rain falls back to Earth.
What it is
Evaporation and condensation happen around us daily: wet clothes dry, puddles vanish, and water drops appear on a cold bottle.
Why it works
These everyday sights are the same science at work, water leaving as vapour or vapour settling back as drops.
Why it matters
Spotting them makes the science feel close and useful.
A few examples
Wet clothes dry by evaporation. Drops on a cold bottle form by condensation.
What it is
Water has fixed landmark temperatures: it freezes at about 0 °C and boils at about 100 °C. Evaporation can happen at many temperatures, faster when warm.
Why it works
These fixed points mark where the changes of state happen, so we can predict when ice will melt or water will boil.
Why it matters
These numbers help in cooking, weather and everyday life.
A few examples
Water freezes at 0 °C. Water boils at 100 °C. Wet clothes dry faster in the Sun.
Slide to heat or cool the water. Below 0 it freezes to ice, above 100 it boils into steam. It demos on its own until you touch it.
Drag each into solid, liquid or gas. sorted 0/6
Have a go first, then tap to see the clear steps.
Q1. What are the three states of water?
Q2. What is the change from ice to water called?
Q3. Wet clothes drying in the Sun show which change?
Q4. Water drops on a cold cola bottle form by which change?
Q5. At about what temperature does water freeze?
Q6. What is the endless journey of water called?