How many states of matter are there?

[Exonerate]

I'm getting a bit confused... I know of 5 states of matter, but I've heard of others, but have never been able to confirm their existence. Can anybody help here?
I know of
1. Bose-Einstein Condensation
2. Solid
3. Liquid
4. Gas
5. Plasma
6. Quasi-crystal? (Got this off a questionable site...)

[Sonnenburg]

Dr. Evil: Do you like my Quasi-Crystal clothes, Mr. Powers? I designed them myself.

[tharkûn]

Depends on the substance. Phase has a very specific definition that for the life of me I have forgotten (it has been a while since P-chem). However the hallmark of a phase is in the changes. Distinct changes in phase occur in a whack pressure/temperature/concentration dependance. As in a minute change in temperature will result in complete coversion to one phase if you are at equilibrium.

Water has Gas, liquid, super-critical fluid, Ice I, Ice II, Ice III, Ice V, Ice VI - XI (Ice IV is metastable and not a true state, as is Ice XII). Add to that the exotics (things requiring more than a bigass piston and good temperature control). Or we could always look at Sulphur.

Mixed phases are also possible. For instance aqueous salt is a distinct phase. Each additional component adds 1 degree of freedom and at least one additional state.

[Hendrake]

Solid state is a very general term: it includes lots of different crystalline states, vetrous, amporphus (sp?).

Also consider liquid crystals, a kind of intermediate stae between liquid and crystalline.

And the superfluid (?) state, like when helium is cooled below 2 degrees KKelvin.

And very probably something I don't recall or I flatly don't know.

[Admiral Valdemar]

I'd say Bose-Einstein condensate, solid, liquid, gas, plasma and superfluid and Slush Puppy.

So 6.

[Zoink]

I also read in this months Scientific American that extreme magnetic fields also does wierd things to matter... stretching it into long chains. Although, I don't know if this would be classified as a different phase, especially since nobody has witnessed such matter.

Also at the heart of neutron stars, it is theorized that the core is "quark matter" ... which I believe *would* be another phase.

[Admiral Valdemar]

I also read in this months Scientific American that extreme magnetic fields also does wierd things to matter... stretching it into long chains. Although, I don't know if this would be classified as a different phase, especially since nobody has witnessed such matter.

Also at the heart of neutron stars, it is theorized that the core is "quark matter" ... which I believe *would* be another phase.

I like to think that neutronium and quark matter are all superfluidic states, the magnetic twisting you speak of is still solid if I read that right.

We could get really pedantic and say that each element is a different state of matter, in a way it is, but I think the 6 ones I mentioned are the key primary states (bar Slush Puppy, that's unidentified).

[Wicked Pilot]

What ever happened to earth, water, and fire?

[Admiral Valdemar]

What ever happened to earth, water, and fire?

They got their arses kicked when people kept forgetting about AIR.

[Darth Wong]

Depends on how you define states.

However, you could probably simplify all of them into the two categories of solid (which is actually a very rare state in the universe, as strange as that may seem to us) and fluid (which includes liquids and gases and Bose-Einstein condensates and just about every other damned thing including atomic nuclei).

[Admiral Valdemar]

Depends on how you define states.

However, you could probably simplify all of them into the two categories of solid (which is actually a very rare state in the universe, as strange as that may seem to us) and fluid (which includes liquids and gases and Bose-Einstein condensates and just about every other damned thing including atomic nuclei).

Yeah but you know us science guys can't have only two categories, then normal folk will understand our secret of making things too technobabble to understand without a degree.

[Darth Servo]

Yeah but you know us science guys can't have only two categories, then normal folk will understand our secret of making things too technobabble to understand without a degree.

Well biologists sure love to pidgeon hole everything and slap a name on every last little thing. Chromosomes, chromatin, chromatids. Three different names for the same shit in different stages of the cell cycle.

Back on topic, where do things like "liquid crystal" fit in?

[Durandal]

Depends on how you define states.

However, you could probably simplify all of them into the two categories of solid (which is actually a very rare state in the universe, as strange as that may seem to us) and fluid (which includes liquids and gases and Bose-Einstein condensates and just about every other damned thing including atomic nuclei).

Yeah but you know us science guys can't have only two categories, then normal folk will understand our secret of making things too technobabble to understand without a degree.

Don't be ridiculous. According to cosmologists, if it's not a gas, it's a metal.

[Howedar]

I clicked 4 instead of 5. Whoops.

[Wicked Pilot]

I will have to consult with a physics PhD friend of mine before I can answer this poll. Last I heard it was five. I'm no expert, but I am always interested in learning something new.