matter

(noun)

Something that has mass and takes up space (has volume) and makes up almost everything in the world.

Related Terms

Examples of matter in the following topics:

  • The Kinetic Molecular Theory of Matter

    • The kinetic molecular theory of matter explains how matter can change among the phases of solid, liquid, and gas.
    • An application of the theory is that it helps to explain why matter exists in different phases (solid, liquid, and gas) and how matter can change from one phase to the next.
    • There are spaces between particles of matter.
    • The kinetic theory of matter is also illustrated by the process of diffusion.
    • Explore how states of matter are related to the strength of intermolecular attractions.

  • Three States of Matter

    • The three states of matter are the distinct physical forms that matter can take: solid, liquid, and gas.
    • The three states of matter are the three distinct physical forms that matter can take in most environments: solid, liquid, and gas.
    • Much of the atomic matter of the universe is hot plasma in the form of rarefied interstellar medium and dense stars.
    • Historically, the states of matter were distinguished based on qualitative differences in their bulk properties.
    • Solid is the state in which matter maintains a fixed volume and shape; liquid is the state in which matter adapts to the shape of its container but varies only slightly in volume; and gas is the state in which matter expands to occupy the volume and shape of its container.

  • The Study of Chemistry

    • Chemistry is the study of the composition, structure, properties, and transformation of matter.
    • Chemistry is the study of matter and the chemical reactions between substances.
    • Chemistry is also the study of matter's composition, structure, and properties.
    • Matter is essentially anything in the world that takes up space and has mass.
    • Chemistry is the study of the properties, composition, and transformation of matter.

  • Interpreting Phase Diagrams

    • Phase diagrams illustrate the effects selected variables of a system have on the state of matter.
    • Phase diagrams illustrate the effects selected variables of a system have on the state of matter.
    • Along the phase boundaries, the matter being evaluated exists simultaneously in equilibrium between the two states that border the phase boundary.
    • Phase diagrams can also be used to explain the behavior of a pure sample of matter at the critical point.
    • General observations from the diagram reveal that certain conditions of temperature and pressure favor certain phases of matter.

  • Physical and Chemical Properties of Matter

    • Properties of matter can be classified as either extensive or intensive and as either physical or chemical.
    • All properties of matter are either extensive or intensive and either physical or chemical.
    • Extensive properties, such as mass and volume, depend on the amount of matter that is being measured.
    • Intensive properties, such as density and color, do not depend on the amount of matter.
    • Matter has mass and volume, as demonstrated by this concrete block.

  • Substances that Exist as Gases

    • Gas is one of the three classical states of matter (the others being liquid and solid).
    • Why does matter exist in three different states?
    • The Kinetic Theory of Matter provides a basic overview:
    • We discussed the basic states of matter in which a substance can be interconverted depending on conditions.
    • Matter transitions between three classical states of matter (gas, solid, and liquid) and a fourth state of matter.

  • Major Features of a Phase Diagram

    • Phase diagrams are useful because they allow us to understand in what state matter exists under certain conditions.
    • A phase diagram is a graph which shows under what conditions of temperature and pressure distinct phases of matter occur.
    • Phase boundaries, or lines of equilibrium, are boundaries that indicate the conditions under which two phases of matter can coexist at equilibrium.
    • The triple point is the point on the phase diagram where the lines of equilibrium intersect -- the point at which all three distinct phases of matter (solid, liquid, gas) coexist.

  • Physical and Chemical Changes to Matter

    • There are two types of change in matter: physical change and chemical change.
    • There are two types of change in matter: physical change and chemical change.

  • Early Ideas about Atoms

    • The concept of the atom as an indivisible building block of matter was recorded as early as the 5th century BCE.
    • Matter is composed of indivisible building blocks.
    • Democritus proposed that different types and combinations of these particles were responsible for the various forms of matter.

  • Electromagnetic Spectrum

    • Whenever electromagnetic waves exist in a medium with matter, their wavelength is decreased.
    • Electromagnetic radiation interacts with matter in different ways in different parts of the spectrum.
    • Thus, we refer to a spectrum, but divide it up based on the different interactions with matter.
    • Below are the regions of the spectrum and their main interactions with matter:
    • At very high energies, a single photon can create a shower of high-energy particles and antiparticles upon interaction with matter.