Solids

• What makes a solid — definite shape and volume.
• Everyday solids: ice, wood, stone, books, and your pencil.
• How solids differ from liquids and gases around you.
• Hands-on links from NCERT Looking Around 3 — observing classroom objects.

Level 1 — Core idea

Verbal: A solid keeps its own shape unless you break, cut, or bend it.

Symbolic: Solid → fixed shape + fixed volume.

Visual: Ice cube: length, width, height stay the same when you move it to another plate.

Level 2 — Going deeper

Solids can be hard (brick) or soft (cotton ball) — both are solids if they keep shape. A pile of sand flows, but each grain is a tiny solid.

NCERT anchor

NCERT Looking Around 3, Chapter 7 (Water O' Water!) compares ice (solid water) with liquid water. Chapter 13 (Sharing Our Feelings) uses clay — a soft solid you can mould briefly.

Classify book, water, and air from your classroom.

Step 1 — Book: shape unchanged when moved → **solid**
Step 2 — Water in bottle: flows, takes bottle shape → **liquid**
Step 3 — Air in room: no fixed shape → **gas**

Is ice a solid? It melts into water.

Step 1 — Ice cube has fixed shape and size → **solid**
Step 2 — When it melts, it becomes **liquid** water — state change
Step 3 — Ice **is** solid water at cold temperature ✓

• Name three solids in your kitchen.
• Does a solid change shape when moved to another table?
• Is a rubber ball a solid? Why?
• Stretch: List one solid that can melt — what does it become?

Revision tip: Touch five objects at home; say "solid, liquid, or gas" and one reason.

Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Solids.