What is Matter? (And what does it matter anyway?!)

Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass. The three major states of matter are solid, liquid and gas. Plasma makes four. There are two more, the Bose-Einstein condensates, and the newest, created in 2003, the fermionic condensate created by NASA physicist Deborah S. Jin. It is is related to the Bose- Einstein condensate. This new state of matter will provide scientists with more information about - and practical applications for - superconductivity and superfluidity.Bose-Einstein condensates

This image shows a rotating superfluid made up of fermionic atoms. It was the first time scientists made a friction-free superfluid… Image credit: Andre Schirotzek, MIT …just so you know!

How do we DESCRIBE matter? We use our senses to observe characteristics, or traits of things. These traits are called, properties. Physical properties can be observed or measured without changing the identity of the substance.

Chemical properties give materials the ability to change into a NEW substance with different properties. A chemical property that allows a substance to react with another substance to cause change is called reactivity.

Mass: the amount of matter in an object All matter has mass. The mass of an object is constant. This means it does not change if it is moved from one place to the next. For example, your mass is the same whether you are on Earth or the Moon! Measured in grams (g)

Triple Beam Balance: used to measure mass pan beams weights base arm

Volume: the amount of space an object takes up All matter has volume. Liquid: SI (Standard International) Unit is the liter (L) broken down into milliliters (mL) Solid: –Regular-shaped: V =L x H x W –Noted as cm³ –Irregular-shaped: Displacement method : measuring the amount of water moved after immersing the object –Noted as mL

Graduated Cylinder: used to measure liquid volume

Meniscus: the point at the bottom of the curve of liquid in a graduated cylinder The amount of liquid in this graduated cylinder is approx. 53 mL

Density: a measurement of mass related to the material’s volume Formula: Density=Mass ÷Volume M D = −− V

What does density have to do with mass and volume? Density is the mass of matter packed into volume Volume is matter packed into space Solid/Gas: Density (g/cm 3 ) = mass (g) / volume (cm 3 ) Liquid: Density (g/mL) = mass (g) / volume (mL)

What do we use density for? Density is useful to compare different types of matter. Such as: the density of helium is less than the density of air. Styrofoam floats on water (even though it is a solid and water is a liquid) because styrofoam is less dense than water. Oil floats on top of water because it is less dense than water, like in Italian dressing!

Gravity: a measurement of the gravitational force on an object Anything with mass produces a gravitational force. Every bit of mass produces a gravitational force; this force attracts other objects. The bigger, more massive the object, the greater the gravitational pull. (That’s why we don’t fly off the face of the Earth! It’s way bigger than we are!) (Sir Isaac Newton formulated the laws of gravity!)

Weight: a measure of the gravitational pull on an object Weight is not constant. Weight changes depending on the gravitational pull on the object. Since weight is related to gravity and Sir Isaac Newton wrote the law of gravity, the SI Unit it is measured in is the Newton (N), but we use ounces and pounds. Sir Isaac Newton

The Basics of Physics: Exploring Gravity

Inertia: the resistance of an object to changes in motion If an object is at rest, a force is needed to make it move. If an object is moving, a force is needed to slow it down.

In conclusion, a property is a characteristic of an object that can be experienced using one of the five human senses: touch, taste, smell, sight or sound, or, in an extended sense, detected through any measuring device. It may also give a material the ability to change into something new with all together new properties!

In other words, a property can be observed and measured, or give a material the ability to change… Other properties we may explore are: Temperature Fluorescence Luster Reactivity Rate of dissolving pH …the end.