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An introduction to what matter is and how it makes up everything we see, touch, and breathe.
Did you know that the air you breathe, the water you drink, and even the hair on your head are all made of the same 'stuff'? What if you could prove that even invisible air is actually taking up space right now?
Everything around you is made of matter. Scientists define matter using two special rules. First, it must have mass, which means it is made of 'stuff' you can weigh. Second, it must take up space, which is also called volume. Think of a brick: it is heavy (mass) and it takes up room in your backpack (volume). Even things you can't easily see, like the tiny particles of air, are matter because they have a tiny bit of weight and fill up the sky!
Let's look at a simple object to see if it is matter. 1. Pick up a pencil. 2. Does it have weight? Yes, if you put it on a scale, it might weigh grams. 3. Does it take up space? Yes, you can't put another pencil in the exact same spot at the same time. 4. Since it has mass and takes up space, a pencil is matter.
Quick Check
What are the two things something must have to be called matter?
Answer
Mass (weight) and Volume (taking up space).
Matter comes in many different forms. In your classroom, the solids like your desk and chair are matter. The liquids like the water in your bottle are matter. Even the gases are matter! When you blow into a balloon, the balloon gets bigger because the air inside is taking up space. If you weighed an empty balloon and then weighed a full one, the full one would be slightly heavier because air has mass.
How do we prove air is matter? 1. Take an empty balloon and weigh it: gram. 2. Blow air into it until it is round. It now takes up a volume of liters. 3. Weigh it again: grams. 4. Because the mass increased and it took up space, the air inside is matter.
Quick Check
Is the water inside a swimming pool matter? Why?
Answer
Yes, because it has mass (it's heavy) and it takes up space in the pool.
Not everything in the universe is matter. Some things are energy. Energy does not have mass and it does not take up space. For example, light from a flashlight can fill a room, but it doesn't push the air out of the way, and it doesn't weigh anything. Heat and sound are also non-matter. You can feel heat and hear sound, but you can't put them in a jar and weigh them on a scale!
Imagine you are sitting by a campfire. Let's sort what we see: 1. The wooden logs are matter (they are heavy and take up space). 2. The smoke rising up is matter (it is made of tiny particles of ash and gas). 3. The orange light glowing from the flames is non-matter (it has no weight). 4. The warmth you feel on your hands is non-matter (it is energy, not stuff).
Which of these is the best definition of matter?
Which of the following is NOT an example of matter?
Air is considered matter because it has mass and takes up space.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, look around your breakfast table. Can you find three things that are matter and one thing (like sunlight or noise) that is non-matter?
Practice Activity
Try the 'Balloon Test': Blow up a balloon and try to 'squish' it. The resistance you feel is the matter (air) taking up space!