M ATTER Vocabulary

M ATTER Anything that takes up space and has mass.

M ASS Mass is the amount of matter in an object. This is different from weight which is a measure of gravity's effect on something. Move to a different planet and an object's weight will change, but its mass will be the same. There are a couple of ways to measure mass. The most common method is to use a balance. If you go to a different planet, the balance weights change by the same factor as the object you are measuring. Your mass measured with a balance would be the same on the moon as it is on Earth.

V OLUME How much space an object takes up. Volume can be measured a number of ways depending on the application. In math, volume is equivalent to length x width x height. In science, liquid volume is measured using a graduated cylinder. Solids can be measured by the amount of liquid volume that is displaced.

P ROPERTY Something about an object that can be observed. There are two types of properties: Chemical Properties: Any property that becomes evident during a chemical reaction. Physical Properties: Any property that can be observed without changing the object.

S TATES OF M ATTER Solid A solid forms from liquid or gas because the energy of atoms decreases when the atoms take up a relatively ordered, three-dimensional structure. All solids have the ability to resist forces applied either perpendicular or parallel to a surface.

S TATES OF M ATTER Liquid When a liquid is poured into a container, it takes the shape of the container. when a liquid is poured from one container to another, it keeps its volume but not its shape. Gases, for example, expand to fill their container so that the volume they occupy is the same as that of the container. Solids retain both their shape and volume when moved from one container to another.

S TATES OF M ATTER Gas Gases appear to have no structure at all. They have neither a definite size nor shape. Gases will completely fill any closed container; their properties depend on the volume of a container but not on its shape.

S TATES OF M ATTER When a liquid is poured into a container, it takes the shape of the container. when a liquid is poured from one container to another, it keeps its volume but not its shape. liquids have a definite size, or volume, even though they adapt their shape to that of the container in which they are placed. Gases expand to fill their container so that the volume they occupy is the same as that of the container. Gases will completely fill any closed container. Solids retain both their shape and volume when moved from one container to another. solids have both a definite size and a definite shape.

S OLID

L IQUID

G AS

S TATES OF M ATTER

L OOK AROUND THE ROOM AND FIND ALL THREE STATES OF MATTER.

A TOM A basic unit of matter that consists of a dense central nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons.

M OLECULES a group of atoms bonded together

C HANGES IN M ATTER Physical Change a usually reversible change in the physical properties of a substance, such as size, shape, or phase.

P HYSICAL C HANGE Heating and Cooling Many elements and some compounds change from solids to liquids and from liquids to gases when heated and the reverse when cooled Magnetism The process is reversible and does not affect the chemical composition. Crystallization Many elements and compounds form crystals. Some such as carbon can form several different forms including diamond, graphite, graphene and fullerenes. Mixtures Mixtures can be separated easily and usually do so on their own. One familiar example is the mixture of fine sand with water used to make sandcastles. Neither the sand on its own nor the water on its own will make a sand-castle but by using properties of both, the mixture behaves in a different way. Solutions Most solutions of salts and some compounds such as sugars can be separated by evaporation. Alloys The mixing of different metal elements is known as alloying. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. Separating individual metals from an alloy can be difficult and may require chemical processing.

C HANGES IN M ATTER Chemical Change When one substance combines with another to make a new substance.

C HEMICAL C HANGE Change of odor. Change of color (for example, silver to reddish-brown when iron rusts). Change in temperature or energy, such as the production (exothermic) or loss (endothermic) of heat. Change of form - paper turning to ash when burned. Light, heat, or sound given off. Formation of gases, often appearing as bubbles in liquids. Formation of a precipitate (insoluble particles). The decomposition of organic matter (for example, rotting food).

D ENSITY mass per unit volume

B OILING the action of bringing a liquid to the temperature at which it bubbles and turns to vapor.

F REEZING turn a liquid into solid

E VAPORATION the process of becoming a vapor or gas

C ONDENSATION the conversion of a vapor or gas to a liquid

M IXTURE the product of distribution of one substance through another without any chemical reaction

S OLUTION a liquid mixture in which one substance is completely distributed within the other substance Solvent: substance you have the most of Solute: substance being dissolved into solvent Example: Kool-Aid Solvent: Water Solute: Kool-Aid mix

H OMOGENEOUS The same Homogeneous mixture: mixture of two substances where they are both evenly distributed. Also, means the same as solution. Example: blood, salt water, coffee, Kool-Aid

H ETEROGENEOUS Different Heterogeneous mixture: mixture of two different things, not combined chemically Sandy water, orange juice with pulp, chicken noodle soup

H ETEROGENEOUS AND H OMOGENEOUS A.K.A solution!

S OLUBILITY the amount of a substance that will dissolve in a another substance

S UBSTANCE a particular kind of matter with uniform properties

C OLLOID A colloid is a mixture where very small particles of one substance are evenly distributed throughout another substance. They appear very similar to solutions, but the particles are suspended in the solution rather than fully dissolved. The particles will not settle to the bottom over a period of time, they will stay suspended or float. Example: Milk is a mixture of liquid butterfat globules dispersed and suspended in water. Colloids are generally considered heterogeneous mixtures.

S USPENSION Suspension is a mixture between a liquid and particles of a solid BUT the particles do not dissolve. The particles and the liquid are mixed up so that the particles are "suspended" in the liquid. A key characteristic of a suspension is that the solid particles will settle and separate over time if left alone. Example: water and sand. When mixed up, the sand will disperse throughout the water. If left alone, the sand will settle to the bottom. Suspensions are heterogeneous.

V ARIABLE Something that you could change

I NDEPENDENT V ARIABLE The part of the experiment you change ON PURPOSE

D EPENDENT V ARIABLE Variable that changes based on the independent variable Flowers get bigger or stay wimpy because of the miracle grow

H YPOTHESIS An educated guess about what will happen in an experiment.