What’s the Matter Notes

What’s the MATTER?

Definition:

Anything that has mass

and occupies space

Matter

Matter!!

Matter!

Examples: Everything around you!

Your table, your pencil, your hair, your

lab partner’s lungs, the air we

breathe, lava, ice, etc.

What’s it made of?

All matter is made of atoms and

molecules.

Almost

everything!

This is a model of an atom.

Atoms – tiny pieces of stuff• All matter is made of atoms

• Atoms: the smallest particle of an

element that still has the properties of

that element.

Atoms are too small

for us to see.

Atoms• If we took a penny and made it the size of

the United States, each atom in the penny

would be about the size of a ping pong ball!

When you combine atoms you get

molecules. Atoms are the building

blocks of molecules!

2 or more atoms = a molecule

Atoms are like Legos, and molecules are like

Lego creations.

2 or more atoms = a molecule

Models of Atoms

Atoms have a nucleus with

electrons moving around them.

Atoms

• Atoms have three main pieces

• Protons (in the nucleus)

• Neutrons (in the nucleus)

• Electrons (moving around the

nucleus)

Atoms

Most of an atom is empty space

• If the nucleus of one atom was the size of

a marble, and we put that marble on

second base of a baseball field, the size of

the whole atom would be the size of the

entire stadium!

Most of an atom is empty space

• If we took a marble and put it on second

base, then the entire size of the atom is

the whole baseball stadium!

• We can’t show all that empty space in a

drawing!

• Drawings can’t easily show that the

electrons are moving.

Limitations in Drawing Models of Atoms

• Our knowledge of the structure of matter

has changed over time.

• http://www.uen.org/core/science/sciber/

sciber7/stand-1/grandpa.shtml

More About Matter

MASS

• How much matter is

in an object

• How much space an

object takes up

VOLUME

More About Matter

•Image SourcesWikimedia commons and clipart via PPT