Science Chapter: Matter and Its Properties

Anything that has mass and occupies space.

The study of matter and its chemical and physical properties, as well as the changes it undergoes.

The ability to do work to cause a change.

A state of matter with particles widely separated, no definite shape, and no definite volume.

A state of matter with particles closer together, a definite volume but no definite shape.

A property that can be observed without changing the substance's identity. For example, color, melting point, or density.

A change in the physical appearance of a substance without altering its composition. Examples include melting ice or cutting paper.

A property that causes a substance to change its composition during a chemical reaction. Examples include flammability or reactivity with acid.

A process where one or more substances are converted into new substances by rearranging, adding, or removing atoms. Examples include burning wood or baking a cake.

A change in the composition of a substance. Chemical reactions produce new substances with different properties.

The distance between two points.

The space occupied by an object.

The standard unit for measuring length.

The standard unit for measuring volume.

A prefix used in the metric system to represent 1000.

All digits in a number that are known with certainty plus one uncertain digit.

Zeros at the end of a number are significant if the number contains a decimal point.

All non-zero digits are significant.

Trailing zeros are NOT significant if the number does not contain a decimal point.

Zeros to the left of the first nonzero integer are not significant.

A method used to represent very large or very small numbers easily and with the correct number of significant figures. It expresses a number as a power of ten.

To convert a number greater than 1 to scientific notation, move the original decimal point x places to the left and multiply the resulting number by 10x. The exponent x is a positive number equal to the number of places the decimal point moved.

To convert a number less than 1 to scientific notation, move the original decimal point x places to the right and multiply the resulting number by 10-x. The exponent x is a positive number equal to the number of places the decimal point moved.

The degree of 'hotness' of an object.

A formula used to convert temperature measurements from Celsius to Fahrenheit.

A formula used to convert temperature measurements from Fahrenheit to Celsius.

A temperature scale that uses absolute zero as its starting point. As molecular speed increases the Kelvin temperature proportionally increases.

The ratio of mass to volume. It is an intensive property used to characterize a substance as each substance has a unique density.

The ratio of the density of an object to the density of pure water at 4 degrees Celsius. It is unitless because the units cancel out.

The health industry often uses this to test urine and blood samples.

A unit of density that represents grams per milliliter.

A number less than 1 is converted to scientific notation by moving the decimal point to the right. The number of places the decimal point moves is denoted by x, and the resulting number is multiplied by 10 raised to the power of -x. For example, 0.0062 can be represented as 6.2 x 10^-3.

When rounding off numbers, if the digit to be dropped is less than 5, the preceding digit remains unchanged. If the digit to be dropped is 5 or greater, the preceding digit is increased by one. For example, rounding 3.34966 × 10^4 to 3 significant figures results in 3.35 × 10^4.

In addition and subtraction, the result cannot have more significant figures than any of the numbers used in the calculation. For example, in the sum 37.68 + 6.71862 + 108.428, the result should be rounded to 152.83 liters, as 108.428 has the fewest significant figures.

In multiplication and division, the result cannot be more precise than the least precise number used in the calculation. The least precise number is the one with the fewest significant figures. For example, 4.2 × 10^3 ÷ 2.255 × 10^-4 should be rounded to 3.0 × 10^-8, since 4.2 × 10^3 has only 2 significant figures.

Numbers that have uncertainty by definition are called inexact numbers. Exact numbers arise from counting and have no uncertainty. For example, a set of beakers counted on a shelf is an exact number with an infinite number of significant figures.

Dimensional analysis is a method of converting between units using conversion factors. A conversion factor represents the relationship between two units. For example, to convert meters to centimeters, you would use the conversion factor 1 meter = 100 centimeters.