Liquids

Abstract

Of the three states of matter the liquid state has proved the most difficult to study. The main characteristic of the gaseous state is random, translational motion of the molecules, with little molecular interaction. In the solid state, as we have seen in chapter 2, the atoms or molecules occupy fixed sites with very little vibrational motion. Both of these states have received a great deal of attention by physical scientists and are well understood. In contrast, the study of the liquid state has raised a number of theoretical problems and as yet is not completely understood.