Lesson 3.1 - Describing Matter

Think about the world around you. What one word can you use to describe almost everything around you? That is one word that includes almost everything in the universe.

Scientists use the word matter when they want to refer to the stuff that makes up our universe. Read the top of page 10 in your textbook including Figure 1.6. Then, answer the following questions.

Question 1. What is the definition of matter?

Question 2. What does the particle theory of matter help explain?


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Particle Theory of Matter

The modern Particle Theory of Matter has four important points. Read the bottom of page 10 to learn what these four points are. You will be asked to state the points in your assignment.

Matter exists in four possible states. Most of the matter on Earth is found in three of these states. Read page 11 to learn about the three main states of matter on Earth and also about the fourth state of matter, which is rare on Earth. Then, answer the following questions.

Question 3. What are the four states of matter?

Question 4. Why is the fourth state of matter rare on Earth? Where do you think you would find matter in this state on Earth?

Question 5. This question requires you to think as well as use your dictionary or encyclopedia. This might be a good starting point for you to use the online dictionary. The text did not explain plasma. If you heat water until it evaporates, you get water in the gas state (called water vapour or steam). If you continue to heat the gaseous water, it will just get hotter but it will remain a gas. What is the difference between a gas and plasma?


Then, return here to continue this lesson.


The Try This activity on page 11 is great. But do not make as much as the recipe in the book indicates. A smaller batch is easier to handle! Add 6 or 8 teaspoonfuls of water to a cup. While stirring, add cornstarch until it becomes too thick to stir. You can use an ordinary cup because the small amount of mixture that sticks to the container cleans up easily with soap and water.

Important Note: Do not pour the mixture down the sink when you are finished with it! It will clog the drain and make someone unhappy and get you in trouble. You can store the mixture in a covered container in the fridge. When you are finished with it, pour it into a plastic bag and throw it in the garbage.

Try to stick your finger into the mixture. This is easy as long as you put it in very slowly. As soon as you try to stick your finger in fast, you will not be able to do so! If you do not notice this effect, you have to mix more cornstarch into the mixture. Amaze your family and friends with this stuff. Try pouring some in your hand. You can hold it in your hand as long as you are squeezing it, when you stop squeezing, it runs out of your hand. Try pouring some on a board and hitting it with a hammer!

This strange stuff you have made is sometimes called Oobleck. Get on the Internet and run a search for Oobleck to get more information.



Go to the next page to learn about properties of matter.












Answers to Questions:

Question 1. What is the definition of matter?

Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space.

Question 2. What does the particle theory of matter help explain?

The particle theory of matter helps explain what scientists have learned about the characteristics of matter.


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Answers to Questions:

Question 3. What are the four states of matter?

The four states of matter are solid, liquid, gas, and plasma.

Question 4. Why is the fourth state of matter rare on Earth? Where do you think you would find matter in this state on Earth?

Plasma is rare on Earth because matter can exist in this state only at very high temperatures. Matter in the plasma state is found in the highest levels of the atmosphere (actually called the ionosphere). Small amounts are located in nuclear research facilities.

Question 5. This question requires you to think as well as use your dictionary or encyclopedia. The text did not explain plasma. If you heat water until it evaporates, you get water in the gas state (called water vapour or steam). If you continue to heat the gaseous water, it will just get hotter, but it will remain a gas. What is the difference between a gas and plasma?

When you evaporate liquid water, you have water in the gas state. The particles are still water particles. When you heat the gas, it just gets hotter but the particles are still water particles. At a certain temperature, something happens to the water particles. They break up into charged particles. Plasma is made up of charged particles that can conduct electricity and are affected by magnetic fields.

The difference between matter in the gas state and matter in the plasma state is that the particles in a plasma are charged while those in a gas are not. You may have heard about or seen northern lights (aurora borealis). The plasma in the highest levels of the atmosphere is affected by radiation from the sun and the Earth's magnetic field. Matter in the gas state in the atmosphere does not react to solar radiation or the Earth's magnetic field.


Click to return to where you left off in this lesson.