States of Matter: " The 19 Recognized States of Matter "

In physics, a state of matter is one of the distinct forms that categorize matter. Four states of matter are observable in everyday life: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. With the many advances in physics, particularly particle physics and theoretical physics, a minimum of 19 other states are known to exist, some only in extreme situations, such as Bose Einstein condensates, neutron-degenerate matter and quark-gluon plasma, which occur in situations of extreme cold, extreme density and extremely high-energy color-charged matter respectively. Several subcategories exist within the four fundamental states such as amorphous solids, liquid crystals and colloids. In addition many uncommon states exist such as degenerate matter, photonic matter, superfluids, supersolids and the quark gluon plasma which represents a significant period during the early formation of our universe. Other states are believed to be possible but remain theoretical. Historically, the distinction is made based on qualitative differences in properties. Plasma is the most common form of visible matter in the universe. This book discusses the latest states of matter that are rarely taught even at the college level and is designed to be a general overview of the topic and provide you with the structured knowledge to familiarize yourself with the topic at the most affordable price possible. The level of discussion is that of Wikipedia. The accuracy and knowledge is of an international viewpoint as the edited articles represent the inputs of many knowledgeable individuals and some of the most currently available general knowledge on the topic, based on the date of publication.