Daut R.B. – KSTU(gr.GD-15-5) Supervisor – Igembekova A.Z.
MATTER
How do we define matter? What is matter made up of? Which one is heavier, iron or wool?
Why do we measure things? What are the units for measuring very small things?
In this chapter, you will find the answer to such questions.
Everything around us, such as air, water, plants, animals and earth, is matter. All of the incredible variety of living and non-living things on earth are different forms of matter. Matter can be defined as anything, which has mass and occupies volume in space.
Light, sound and heat and not matter because they have no mass and do not occupy space. However they are different kinds of energy. We can define energy as the ability to do work.
To understand that matter has mass, let us do the following activities.
Matter exists in three physical forms or states; solid, liquid and gas.
A solid has a definite shape and volume, a glass, a spoon, wood, paper, pencil, and ice are all solids.
A liquid has a definite volume but no definite shape, it takes the shape of its container. Water, oil and alcohol are examples of liquids. The milk in a bottle has the shapes of the bottle, but when it is poured into a bowl, it takes the shape of the bowl. Its volume, however, remains the same.
A gas has neither a definite shape nor a volume. It takes the shape and volume of its container. For example, a small amount of perfume can be smelt everywhere on a room. Air, oxygen, hydrogen, water vapor and exhaust fumes are some example of gases. In the picture on page three, we can observe the three states of matter. The earth is a solid, water is a liquid and air is a gas.