Ask A Scientist© Astronomy Archive

Author:      debi
I need help on a student's question.  We were discussing the states of
matter and when we came to plasma I did not have a good answer for what 
plasma is other than it is found in the stars and does not occur on earth. 
Can you give me more information on this subject?

Response #:  1 of 1
Author:      hawley
Plasmas are often called the fourth state of matter and can be found on
Earth in lightening and laboratories as well as the extreme upper atmo-
sphere.  Although like a gas, plasmas behave slightly differently because
they are mixtures of positive ions and negative electrons; hence they
respond to electromagnetic fields.