'''Solid''' is one of the major [[states]] of [[matter]]. It is characterized by [[structural]] rigidity and [[resistance]] to [[changes]] of shape or [[volume]]. Unlike a [[liquid]], a solid object does not [[flow]] to take on the shape of its container, nor does it expand to fill the entire volume available to it like a [[gas]] does. The [[atoms]] in a solid are tightly bound to each other, either in a regular [[geometric]] [[lattice]] ([[Crystal|crystalline]] solids, which include metals and ordinary water ice) or irregularly (an amorphous solid such as common window glass). | '''Solid''' is one of the major [[states]] of [[matter]]. It is characterized by [[structural]] rigidity and [[resistance]] to [[changes]] of shape or [[volume]]. Unlike a [[liquid]], a solid object does not [[flow]] to take on the shape of its container, nor does it expand to fill the entire volume available to it like a [[gas]] does. The [[atoms]] in a solid are tightly bound to each other, either in a regular [[geometric]] [[lattice]] ([[Crystal|crystalline]] solids, which include metals and ordinary water ice) or irregularly (an amorphous solid such as common window glass). |