Physical Properties of Matter

Matter and Its Characteristics

• Matter is anything that has mass and occupies space.
• Examples of matter: pencil, air, and water.

Volume

• Volume is the amount of space an object occupies.
• Volume can be measured using beakers and measuring cylinders.
• Examples of volume: the amount of space water occupies in a bottle, the amount of space air occupies in a balloon.

Mass

• Mass is the amount of matter an object contains.
• Mass can be measured using an electronic balance.
• Example: Brick A has more mass than Brick B because it has more matter.

Deciding If Something Is Matter

• To decide if something is matter, it must have mass and occupy space.
• If something does not have mass and occupy space, it is not matter.

States of Matter

• Solid: has definite shape and definite volume. (Example: eraser)
• Liquid: has no definite shape and definite volume. (Example: water)
• Gas: has no definite shape and no definite volume. (Example: air)

Characteristics of Objects

• An object has definite volume if its volume does not change when it is placed in a different container. (Example: candy)
• An object has no definite volume if its volume changes when it is placed in a different container. (Example: air)
• An object has definite shape if its shape does not change when it is placed in a different container. (Example: eraser)
• An object has no definite shape if its shape changes when it is placed in a different container. (Example: water)