Suppose that you have cut a piece of paper into pieces. You have changed the size and shape of the paper. Is it still paper though? Yes! You have only caused a physical change.

Learn about the different states of matter and the physical changes that objects can go through.

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A physical change is a change in which no new materials form.

You can change the shape of modeling clay by pushing and pulling. You can change its color by mixing different colors. The clay may have a rough texture. Texture is the way a surface feels. You can make clay smooth with your hands.

When you change clay from rough to smooth, you have caused a physical change. You have still not changed what the clay is. It is still clay.

Shape, color, and texture are physical properties. A physical property is a feature of something you can observe directly or measure with a tool. When you cause a physical change in a material, you can change one or more of its physical properties.

Size Shape Color Texture Smell Temperature Weight Hardness State (solid, liquid, or gas)

Cutting Bending Warming Cooling Melting Freezing Evaporating Condensing Boiling Dissolving

Click the picture to play a game to see how heat causes melting.

One physical property of a material is whether it dissolves in water. To dissolve means to mix evenly in a liquid. Dissolving is a physical change.

When a material dissolves, it breaks into tiny pieces that seem to disappear. However, the tiny pieces are still there.

Sugar dissolves in water. So does salt. You know that the sugar or salt is still there though because the water tastes sweet or salty.

Physical changes can be reversed, or turned back. If you dissolve a spoonful of salt in a glass of water, you will not see the salt. If your let the water evaporate, the salt will appear again in the glass.

You may know that matter is anything that takes up space and has mass. Matter exists in different forms called states of matter.

3 States of Matter – Solid – Liquid – Gas

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A solid is matter that keeps its own shape. Solids have a definite shape and size. Examples: Ice, Book, Person, Cookie, Pencil, Salt

A liquid is matter that takes the shape of its container. Liquids have a definite size, but not a definite shape. Examples: Water, Paint, Shampoo, Oil, Laundry Detergent, Syrup, Gasoline

A gas is matter that spreads out in all directions. Gases do not have a definite size or shape. Examples: Water Vapor, Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Helium

Matter is made up of tiny particles that are always moving.

In a solid, the particles only move back and forth. They do not move away from one another. In a liquid, the particles move enough to slide past each other. In a gas, the particles move freely.

Matter can change state if you raise or lower its temperature. When the temperature goes up, the particles have more energy and move more.

When the particles in a solid have enough energy (or when the temperature of the solid becomes high enough), the solid melts. To melt is to change from a solid to a liquid. Heat causes melting.

If the temperature keeps rising, the liquid evaporates. To evaporate is to change from a liquid to a gas. Heat causes evaporation.

A change of state is a physical change. Think about water… – When ice melts or when liquid water evaporates, no new materials form. – Ice, liquid water, and water vapor are all water. – Remember that water vapor is the gas form of water.

Like all physical changes, changes of state can be reversed. After ice melts, the liquid water can freeze again. To freeze is to change from a liquid to a solid. Cooling causes freezing.

After water evaporates, the water vapor can condense back to liquid water. To condense is to change from a gas to a liquid. Cooling causes condensing.

This diagram shows how water changes state. Notice that arrows point in both directions.

If you can pour sand into a cup, why isn’t it a liquid? You usually can’t see gases in the air. How can you observe gases without being able to see them? Can you feel water in the air? Explain.

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oil salt water vapor helium ice cube pencil How do you know?

A ____________________________ has a definite shape. It does not take the shape of its container. It also has a definite volume because it can be measured. A ____________________________ does not have a definite shape. It takes the shape of its container. It does have a definite volume because it can be measured. A ____________________________ does not have a definite shape. It sometimes takes the shape of its container and sometimes flies freely around you. These particles are not connected to each other and takes up whatever space is available.

Read “Why Does Matter Matter?” & complete the questions that go along with it.

Answer the following questions based on the information you learned today. Remember what we learned about the states of matter! Read the questions carefully.

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SolidLiquid____________Caused by _______ Liquid Gas ____________Caused by _______ Water Boils ___°C / ___°F Gas Liquid ____________Caused by _______ Liquid Solid ____________Caused by _______ Water Freezes ___°C / ___°F

Draw the molecules in the different states of matter: The 3 states of matter for water are: Solid: _______Liquid: _______Gas: _____________ Cooling causes even less energy = No Movement Cooling causes even less energy = Less Movement Heating causes more energy = More Movement Heating causes even more energy = Most Movement Solid LiquidGas

What are the different physical properties we can observe with our senses or measure with a tool? What are different physical changes we can make to an object? What is a solid? What is a liquid? What is a gas? What causes a change from a solid to a liquid? What causes a change from a liquid to a solid? What causes a change from a liquid to a gas? What causes a change from a gas to a liquid?

Jack was eating ice cream outside on a summer day. He noticed that his ice cream was going through a physical change. What type of changes were happening to Jack’s ice cream? What was causing the changes?

With your partner, cut out the matter pictures and sort them into the correct column on your states of matter chart.

Click the picture to play a game to see how temperature changes can cause changes in the states of matter.

Pretend your neighbor came in at the end of our Science class today. Write a friendly letter to them, explaining the 4 different physical changes that can occur between the 3 states of matter.