Yes, I believe, hell, it’s been proven, that there are more than just the three basic states of matter. We have solids, which are easily recognizable, with molecules packed tightly together, liquids, which flow easily, containing free molecules, and gas, which contains molecules with enough energy to spread out into the air. All of these states are easily seen, and found. We breathe air, we drink water, we sit on chairs. You see these states of matter everyday, constantly. But there’s one state of matter that as yet remains elusive. It’s called plasma. And what is plasma? Well, take ordinary matter, heat it up so it’s hotter than the surface of the sun, and what’s left? Plasma, a mixture so hot that electrons have enough energy to fly freely among themselves, resulting in so called free electrons, and also ions.
“So.” You think. “You can’t find that anywhere naturally on earth.” But you can. And it plays an important part in something we’ve been using for over a century. Radio communications. Almost fifty kilometers up, at the very, very edge of the earths atmosphere, is the Ionosphere. This is a layer of atmosphere that is so thin, that when the ultraviolet light produced from the sun washes over the atoms, it causes the electrons to lose their bonds and float freely among the newly created ions. Yep, you guessed it, it’s plasma. now, back to the radio communications side of it. The ionosphere affects how far radio can propagate into the atmosphere, and so it plays a role in our very own TV sets.
Not to mention, plasma is now being used frequently in several applications. Many of them are research, but one could play a significant role on industry in the near future, and that’s electron beam welding, a powerful, energy efficient method of welding. Without plasma, the welding had to be done in a vacuum room, but now it can be used anywhere. It’s applications vary from high precision airplane building, to the building of massive, mile long aircraft carriers.
In conclusion, there is definitely more than three states of matter, and it has been proven by scientists world wide. Plasma will more than likely play a role in several applications in the near future, and although we may not see it around us, or even in everyday life, that does not mean it does not, or cannot exist. I hope I have given an insight and changed the minds of everyone who voted ‘No’ in this debate, or at least make them research a bit more. Thanks for reading.
