Matter: What Everything Is Made Of
Understanding matter
Matter in everyday life
Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. Your chair, water, air, and your body are all matter. Energy is different from matter, though they can interact.
Quick example
A balloon filled with air has matter inside it even though air is invisible.
Atoms and molecules
Matter is made of tiny particles called atoms. Atoms can join together to make molecules. For example, two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom make a water molecule, written as .
Particle ideas
Which statement best describes matter?
Matter is defined by mass and volume.
Correct answer: Anything that has mass and takes up space
States of matter
Common states of matter
Solid
- Keeps its own shape
- Particles are closely packed
- Example: ice
Liquid
- Takes the shape of its container
- Particles can move past each other
- Example: water
Changes of state
Matter can change state when energy is added or removed. Ice melts to water when heated. Water boils into steam at higher temperatures. Cooling can turn water vapor back into liquid or solid.
What usually happens to particles when a solid becomes a liquid?
Heating gives particles more energy, letting them move past one another.
Correct answer: They move more freely
Name one example of a liquid and one example of a gas.
Many answers are possible. Water is a liquid; air is a gas.
Correct answer: Water and air.