More than three forms of matter!??!?

I was in science class yesterday ( earth science ) and my teacher mentioned something to a visiting 9nth grader of a fourth form of matter. HOW? HOW COULD IT BE!?!? Can some on fill me in ( asumming my teacher wanst lieing ) about this?

Well....
there's solid, liquid, gas, and then there's something called super-heated gas. I think that plasmas are in a world of their own, too....not sure.

Anyway, superheated gas is the next level of gas. They have their own special characteristics.

I'm pretty sure that plasma is the same thing as super-heated gas, although, I could be wrong.

I think the atoms in plasma are pushed close together, and don't have all their electrons. I haven't learned about plasma in a while though, so my word isn't exactly law...

Its the opposite actually, the more something heats up, the more it expands. Plasma is atoms so far streached out, it actually has a negative charge.

I'd like to learn more about plasma :0) What else do you guys have on it?

And I also thing that the inner parts of the sun is made of hydrogen in a plasma condidtion. Anf If i am not totally wrong(which i can be, a while ago I studer chemistry), the hydrogen needs to be in plasmacondition to be able to become helium with a diffusion(sp?). The enorumous preassure and temeture made hte plasma and which leads to the helium.. Hope that was correct now, or els I might study some more..

There are a lot of different states of matter. For instance while a solid, glass is its own state of matter. I had a good website on it about a year ago..... can't find it now =P

...I'm thinking about plasma in a star. While it is plasma, it is forced close together because of the pressure of such a large mass.

Yeah, glass is amorphous. :0) I've seen old glass that has drooped over many many years time. Newers windows are made out of plastic, though, and I don't think that is very amorphous.

My god the universe is a very large and confusing place. but anyway, linkisup I forgot, what exactly is the diffrence of the negative and positive charges?

Most atoms have the same number of electrons and protons, therefore they are neutral. When an attom loses an electron, it has a positive (+) charge, for it has more protons than electrons. When it gains an electron, it has a negative charge (-).

Glass - Quoilloid. Strange word.

And, just for the record, plasma looks like light and we can't keep it for too long when we make it.

So what characteristics does heated gas have?

Heated gas molecules just move faster. You have to REALLY heat it to get plasma. We usually get it by chemical reaction, and even then, it doesn't stay long.