Matter can exist in five states: solid, liquid, gas, plasma, and Bose-Einstein condensate. All states are made up of atoms arranged in different patterns that determine their properties. Solids have tightly packed atoms that hold a fixed shape, while liquids have less organized atoms that take the shape of their container. Gases have very spread out and energetic atoms that fill any space. Plasmas are similar to gases but composed of free electrons and ions. Bose-Einstein condensates form when atoms clump together at extremely low temperatures.