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Understanding Matter: Definitions and Examples

Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. Mass is the amount of matter in an object, while volume refers to the space an object occupies. Air is an example of matter that cannot be seen but can be shown to have mass and take up space by blowing up a balloon. Light and heat are not matter as they do not have mass or occupy space.

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Nursaiyidah Roni
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6 views1 page

Understanding Matter: Definitions and Examples

Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. Mass is the amount of matter in an object, while volume refers to the space an object occupies. Air is an example of matter that cannot be seen but can be shown to have mass and take up space by blowing up a balloon. Light and heat are not matter as they do not have mass or occupy space.

Uploaded by

Nursaiyidah Roni
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Matter Notes

Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. Mass is the amount of matter or “stuff” in a
certain object. The amount of space an object takes up is its volume. An inflated balloon has more
volume than a balloon that is not blown up because it takes up more space. Anything you can see,
touch, taste, or smell is matter. It can also include things that you can’t see like air and other gases.
How could you prove that air is matter? You could prove air is matter by blowing up a balloon. Air is
now taking up space inside of the balloon. If you put an inflated balloon on a triple beam balance, you
will find that it has a larger mass than a deflated balloon.

Light and heat are two examples of things that are not matter. Light does not take up space or have
mass. Could you fill up a balloon with light? The light passes through the balloon but it does not take up
space inside of the balloon. Emotions, thoughts, and ideas are more examples of things that are not
matter. They take up no space and do not have mass.

Use the information for the reading, to complete these questions:

1. What is a definition for matter? Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. Anything
you can see, touch, taste, or smell is matter.
2. What is a definition for mass? Mass is the amount of matter or “stuff” in a certain object.
3. What is a definition for volume? The amount of space an object takes up is its volume.
4. Helium is an invisible gas, but it is a form of matter. How could you prove that it fits the definition
for matter? You could prove Helium is matter by blowing up a balloon with Helium gas. Then
attach it to a balance. It has mass and takes up space.
5. Beside each object, write M if it is matter or N if it is not matter.

_M___golf club __N__light __N__heat

_N___sound __M__shoes __M__water shampoo

_M___oxygen __M__air __M__helium

_N__shadow __M__gold __M__person

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