The concept of plasma is often given to those new or relatively scientifically inexperienced as “a fourth state of matter.” There is some deal of debate however as to wether plasma is or is not a fourth state; or is a sub state of the gaseous state.
Intuitively, a frozen block of water (solid) can be heated until it becomes water (liquid). If we continue to heat it, it will become vapor. If we heat it more- a LOT more- we could turn it to plasma. So it would seem fairly straight forward that plasma would be a “fourth stage” after gas- and plasma certainly doesn’t behave like a regular gas in general or follow the same rules.
That said- it gets a little technical, but when matter changes phases it goes through a specific set physical changes known as a “phase transition.” Except under very specific conditions and circumstances- most gases don’t undergo phase transition when becoming a plasma. So there are arguments to be made that plasma is or is not a distinct phase of matter as opposed to a condition of gas.
Just to add to what guest said, one way to look at plasma is too look at it the same way we look at a jelly. It’s what’s called a colloid, which is somewhere between a solid and a liquid. A plasma by some descriptions would be in a similar situation, somewhere between a gas and a theoretical physical state distinct from that.
This is also heavily simplified version of stuff, there are many many many many pages of papers talking about plasma and how to describe it and how to classify it.
This is also heavily simplified version of stuff, there are many many many many pages of papers talking about plasma and how to describe it and how to classify it.