Solid Matter (States of Matter)

Abstract

Solid Matter briefly describes the cosmic connection of the elements and then leads the reader through several key events in human prehistory that resulted in more advanced uses of matter in the solid state. From prehistory to the present, the story of people parallels the human mind’s restless search for the scientific meaning of substance. While science has unveiled some of matter’s most intriguing mysteries, other aspects of matter remain strange and unexplained. Solid Matter deals primarily with the characteristics and properties of so-called ordinary solid matter. According to modern scientists, ordinary matter is composed primarily of baryons. Baryons (such as protons and neutrons) are the heavy nuclear particles formed by the union of three quarks. In addition to ordinary matter, the universe also consists of the mysterious phenomena known as dark matter and dark energy.