Matter - Solids
1. mass – the amount of matter in a given object.
2. atom – the smallest part of an element.
3. matter – anything that has mass and takes up space.
4. element – the basic building block of matter; there are 103 known elements.
5. solid – a state of matter that has a shape, a certain size, and may feel hard.
6. melting point – the temperature at which a solid becomes a liquid.
7. weight – the pull of gravity on a given object; the degree of mass.
8. property – a quality of something; describes how an object looks, feels, or acts.
9. density – how tightly the matter of an object is packed together. Example:
density of iron is greater than density of wood.
10. gravity – the invisible force that pulls objects toward Earth.
Matter - Liquids
1. boiling point – the temperature at which a liquid becomes a gas.
2. liquid – matter that takes the shape of its container and is hard to compress;
between the solid and gas phase.
3. viscosity – the resistance of a liquid to flow. Example: honey flows slowly.
4. capacity – refers to the measuring of a liquid’s mass.
5. evaporation – change that occurs when a liquid gains enough energy to change to
a gas.
6. volume – the amount of space a liquid occupies.
7. mixture – made up of two or more kinds of matter that are placed together
but can be easily separated.
8. solution – made up of two or more kinds of matter that form a new substance
and cannot be easily separated.
9. dissolve – to add a solid to a liquid so that the solid disappears. Example – sugar.
10. solubility – how easily a solid will dissolve.
Matter – Gases
1. condensation – change that occurs when vapor, or gas, becomes a liquid.
2. gas – a state of matter that is easy to compress and evenly fills out a
container of any size or shape.
3. vapor – another word for gas; describes gases that are usually found as liquids,
such as water.
4. plasma – considered the fourth state of matter; similar to gas but found in
very hot temperatures, like stars.
5. reversible change – when matter can be changed back to an earlier state.
6. inertia – an ability matter has to resist change.
7. irreversible change – when matter cannot be changed back to an earlier state.
8. state of matter – refers to the three forms of matter: solids, liquids, gases.
9. physical change – makes something look different.
10. chemical change – causes a whole new material to form.