Lesson 1 - Matter in Our Surroundings
Matter in Our Surroundings Matter Matter is anything that has mass and occupies space. Everything that we can touch, see, hear, taste and also smell is matter. Matter is made up of tiny particles which cannot be seen through the eye. The particles of which the matter is comprised, influence its state and properties (physical and chemical). Characteristics of Particles of Matter 1. Particles of matter are very small Particles of matter are tiny atoms or molecules, too small to see without a microscope—a single gram holds trillions of them. For example, a few crystals of potassium permanganate color a whole bucket of water because the particles spread out easily. This shows matter is made of these minuscule, mobile building blocks. 2. Particles of matter have spaces between them This characteristic provides the solubility of a substance in other substances. For example, on dissolving sugar in water, there is no rise in water level because the particles of sugar get...