MODULE 4: Properties of Matter
CMU Digital Academics
Concept Overview:
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CMU Digital Academics
Learning Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the learner is expected to:
❑ discuss the nature of materials based on their general and
specific properties;
❑ demonstrate and describe different materials based on their
general and specific properties;
❑ create instructional materials and prepare simple activities
using the improvised materials to compare how different kinds
of materials vary in terms of their general and specific
properties.
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INTRODUCTION
All materials about us consist of matter. With our senses – sight, touch, taste, smell,
and hearing – we recognize various kinds of matter. This computer, your phone, the
air you breathe, and the water you drink are examples of matter. Some kinds of
matter are easily observed. A stone or a piece of wood may be seen and held in the
hand. Other kinds of matter are recognized less readily, such as the air or even water
in a quiet pool. Everyday, we see, touch, and fell hundreds of these things around
us. And although most of these things differ from each other, they share one
important quality: they are all forms of matter.
Matter is what the universe is made of; matter is what you are made of. We are
familiar with different kinds of matter through our senses. Different kinds of matter
share common characteristics or general properties, such as mass, weight, volume,
and density. Other characteristics useful in identifying matter are specific properties,
which can be organized as physical and chemical properties.
General Properties: MASS and WEIGHT
Mass is a quantity of matter which a body possesses. The mass of an object at rest or an
object in motion is the measure of its resistance to the change of position or motion
called inertia. Thus, mass is the measure of the inertia of the body and is responsible for it
or the amount of matter present in the body.
In most instances, the weight of an object is confused with its mass. Mass and weight are
very much related, but they are certainly not the same thing. Mass is responsible for the
weight of the body; it is the amount or quantity of matter present in an object. Weight is
the measure of the Earth’s attraction on a body. The pull of gravity on a body determines
the weight of the body. On Earth, your weight is a direct measure of the Earth’s force
pulling you towards its center. If you were standing on top of a mountain, we would find
that you weigh less at high altitudes than on sea level. On the other hand, its mass
remains unchanged; the mass of a body is constant. Mass does not change unless it is
added to or removed from the body.
General Properties: MASS and WEIGHT
In symbols, the relationship between mass and weight is:
𝑾𝒕
𝒎= or 𝑾𝒕 = 𝒎𝒈
𝒈
where m is the mass of a body, Wt is the weight, and g is the acceleration due to the pull
of gravity. Below are some of the standard units of mass and weight:
Acceleration Due to
System of
Mass (m) Weight (Wt) Gravity (g) on Earth at
Measurement
Sea Level
Metric - MKS Kilogram Newton 9.8 m/sec2
Metric - CGS Gram Dynes 980 cm/sec2
English Slug Pound 32 ft/sec2
General Properties: VOLUME and DENSITY
Matter occupies space and, therefore, has volume. Volume is the amount of space matter
occupies. Many products we buy at a store (soft drinks, bottled water, and milk) are sold
in liter containers. Some (cough syrup, shampoo, paints, and alcohol) are sold in smaller
containers and in milliliters (ml). One ml is equal in volume to one cm3; one thousand ml is
equal to one liter. Also, from our everyday experience, we recognize that many materials
have different masses. We say that lead is heavy and that cork is light. This has little
meaning unless we have in mind equal volume of lead and work. The mass of a unit
volume of a material is called its density, which is expressed by the equation:
𝒎
𝑫=
𝑽
where m is the mass of the material, V is its volume, and D is its density. The basic unit of
mass in chemistry is the gram (g) and of volume is the cubic centimeter (cm3). Thus, this
density may have the dimensions of g/cm3.
General Properties: VOLUME and DENSITY
Below are some of the standard units of mass, volume, and density:
System of
Mass (m) Volume (V) Density (D)
Measurement
cubic meter (m3) or
Metric - MKS kilogram (kg) kg/m3 or kg/l
liter
cubic centimeter (cm3)
Metric - CGS gram (g) g/cm3 or g/ml
or milliliter
English slug cubic feet (ft3) slug/ft3
The density of pure water at a temperature of 4°C is 1 g/ml (1000 kg/m3 or 1.94 slugs/ft3).
Objects will float in water if its density is less than the density of water, such as wood. On
the other hand, objects with a density greater than the density of water will sink. Usually,
the solid phase of matter will sink in its liquid form because it has greater density than
the density of its liquid form. However, water behaves differently; ice cubes float in a glass
of water. Therefore, ice must be less dense liquid water.
Specific Properties: PHYSICAL and CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
Physical Properties
Physical properties include color, odor, solubility, hardness, melting and boiling points,
and crystalline or amorphous forms. These physical properties do not apply equally to all states
of matter. For example, hardness and crystalline form are not properties of fluids. Similarly, odor
is of little value in describing many solids. Physical properties are those that can be determined
without causing a change in the identity of a material.
Chemical Properties
Under chemical properties, we include chemical activity, or behavior with other
materials, such as whether a material burns (flammability), or how it reacts with air, water,
acids, or bases. Some materials are active, reacting vigorously with others. Some other
materials are inactive. These inactive materials do react, but not very readily, with others. Still
other materials are said to be inert. These do not react under ordinary conditions of chemical
reactions. Chemical properties are those that pertain to the behavior of a material in changes in
which its identity is altered.
REFERENCES/TEXTBOOK/LINKS
• A Course Module for: TEACHING SCIENCE IN ELEMENTARY GRADES
(Biology and Chemistry)
• Science Beyond Borders Textbook Grade 3
• Science Beyond Borders Textbook Grade 4
• Science Beyond Borders Textbook Grade 5
• Science Beyond Borders Textbook Grade 6
• [Link]>lesson-plans
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