Answer – There are four states of matter that occur in nature – solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. 

Explanation:

Any and all matter is made up of atoms which may combine with each other to form compounds. The state in which any matter exists is a result of the interactions between the particles that make it up (atoms or molecules). 

Particles in solids are packed close together. They do not have much energy and hence, do not move around a lot. They may vibrate, but there is no change in their position. Due to this, solids are dense and have a fixed shape of definite mass and volume. 

The particles in liquid are more loosely bound. The attractive forces between them hold them together, but not as close as those of solids. They carry more energy and their movements are more expansive. The positions of liquid particles change in relation to each other. They are less dense than solids and do not have a defined shape, conforming to that of the container it occupies. However, they have definite volume. 

The kinetic energy of particles in gases is very high, and they are held even more loosely than liquids. Gas particles move with greater ease than those of solids and liquids; this means that gases have no fixed shape or volume. They expand to occupy all the space within the container they are in. 

The fourth state of matter is plasma. Physically, it is similar to gases, with a lot of space between the particles that make it up. However, unlike in gases, the individual particles that make up plasma are charged, i.e, they are ionized. This causes it to behave differently from gases. The charged nature of the individual particles allows the setting up of electric and magnetic fields within plasma. This state of matter is found extensively throughout the universe. 

On the other hand, on Earth, matter in nature primarily takes the form of solids, liquids and gases.

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