Exhibits, Shows and Displays

What's the name for a material that exhibits attributes of a solid and a liquid? How about a liquid/gas etc

mmm... would be interested if there was a halfway state between liquid and gas- does mist count as this, and if so, what is the special term to describe this kind of state? How about a material that exhibited attributes of both a solid and a gas? What would that be called?

Public Comments

1. I am not sure but I think that a liquid-solid is called a supercooled solution.
2. i'm not sure but i think its called fluid but im not sure so dont count on me being right
3. liquid crystal?? mist - a vapour? something that goes from gas to solid is said to 'sublime' but i dont know if what you're asking is possible... unless you count farts :)
4. It depends on which attributes are more solid and which are more liquid. Silly putty would be called a subsolid; jello is a semisolid. The stuff in your digital watch is a liquid crystal. Gases and liquids are two extreme kinds of fluids. A gas is an extremely compressible fluid; a liquid is an uncompressible fluid. You would characterize something between them by its degree of compressibility. Mist is not a simgle fluid, however; it is a mixture of two fluids. Sand is a solid with fluid properties; you call that a particulate. There are many materials, and each has its own states of matter. Whether a material is best treated as a solid, liquid, or gas often depends on how long you are planning to observe it. Magma (usually described as a subsolid) is very solid if you consider it over timescales of a few minutes, but very liquid over thousands of years. "Solid, Liquid, Gas" is an oversimplification of materials they teach you in primary school. The reality is much more complicated.
5. Mist is a suspension of liquid droplets in a gas, not a single substance. At high pressures (above a critical pressure for that material), for many substances the distinction between liquid and gas disappears, and scientists just talk about a supercritical fluid. This applies to many lighter hydrocarbons, for instance. Solids/liquids more difficult, but many apparent solids can "flow" over a period of time, like pitch for example, and how about ice (as in glaciers)?
6. I think the word you are looking is thixotropic eg ketchub - turn the bottle upside down and it stays in place - give it a shake and it pours. also a solution of cornflour and water. This has the ability of resisting a hammer blow and yet can be poured - try it.
7. Silly Putty.