Chemistry · Lesson Worlds

States: interactive science lab

Change temperature and prove that the same substance can be ice, water, or steam.

Free · No account required · Runs in your browser

What will you learn?

Heat a solid and it can melt. Heat a liquid and it can boil. Cool them and they go back. Same particles, different spacing.

How does the lab work?

Observe the simulation, make a prediction, change a variable, run the experiment, and explain the result. Finish with a challenge that tests your understanding.

You can change: Temperature. Compare what happens and connect the result to the scientific explanation.

Try a comparison in States

Start with the lab’s initial settings. Choose one control below, predict the result, and change that control while keeping the others fixed. Record the setting and what you observe before making a second change.

Temperature: the lab starts at 20 °C; its available range is -10–120 °C.

For a named starting condition, try Ice, Water, Steam. A preset can change several settings: check the controls before treating two presets as a one-variable comparison.

Questions to discuss during the activity

Watch what happens. It sits as a liquid. That is water. Watch the sample at room temperature.
Name the cause. Particles jiggle more when hot. Enough jiggle and ice becomes water, then steam. Cool them and they lock up again. The stuff did not leave — the spacing changed. Temperature sets the state.
Change something. Raise temperature past 100 °C and it should boil. Change temperature, then heat.
Guess before you run. If we set temperature to 110 °C, the sample will… Guess what will happen, then run to check.

After your comparison, explain how the observations connect to this idea: Heat a solid and it can melt. Heat a liquid and it can boil. Cool them and they go back. Same particles, different spacing. Name one condition you held fixed and one feature of the real world this model simplifies. A completed run is a starting point for discussion, rather than proof of mastery.

Who is it for?

Curious learners exploring chemistry. A parent or teacher can help younger learners read the instructions and discuss the results. Choose by topic and prior knowledge rather than a fixed grade level.

Is this lab free?

Yes. This interactive lab is free without signing in or a paid membership.

No app download is needed; interactive play requires JavaScript and a modern browser.

Use this activity with a learner

Families and educators · choose by prior knowledge

Learning goal: Heat a solid and it can melt. Heat a liquid and it can boil. Cool them and they go back. Same particles, different spacing.

Before you begin: Read the controls for Temperature. Make one prediction before changing a setting.

Check understanding: Ask for one observation, the evidence that supports it, and a question to investigate next.

A simulation simplifies the real world. Explain which conditions stayed fixed; a successful run alone does not demonstrate mastery.

Observe changes of state in a particle model: prediction, evidence, and follow-up

Share States with your family or class. No account is needed to open the free resource.

Activity and guide by Lesson Worlds. About the platform.

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