Justify the statement 'sand is solid'?

Answer 1

It is not a gas -- it does not expand to fill any given volume. It is not a liquid ... even though it appears to take the shape of a container, it does not, it has spaces between the sand particles. That leaves solid.

Even though you can 'pour' it in a very general sense, sand really does not flow like a liquid because it cannot go thru small openings, like a pipette, like real liquids can. Just like iron filings, the solid is just small solidparticles. It is a solid.

Answer 2

Sand is considered solid because it is composed of small, tightly packed grains. While individual sand grains may be loose and flow like a liquid, as a mass, sand retains its shape and volume, exhibiting solid-like properties. Its particles do not move freely past one another like in a liquid but rather maintain a fixed position relative to one another.