Name:__________________________

Date:_______________

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What is Matter?
Concept Worksheet
1. List all the words that come to mind when you hear the word matter.

2. Share your words relating to matter with students at your table. You may add words to
your original list. As a team, complete a web to organize what you know about matter.

MATTER

3. In your table groups, sort the words provided into two categories. List the words below.
What is matter?

What is non-matter?

4. How did you determine what examples were matter and what examples were non-matter?
Explain your reasoning.
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5. Based on these examples, how would you define matter? Write your definition using
complete sentences below.
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6. Using the examples you designated as matter, sort the words into three to five categories.
Label each group of words according to the topic or theme used to organize the words. Use
the spaces below to organize your thoughts.

7. Think about the groups and labels you just created. Now, how could you modify your
definition of matter to be more specific? Rewrite your new definition of matter below.
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8. Review the definition from Dictionary.com provided below. Would you like to change
anything in your own definition? Explain why or why not.
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Definition of Matter
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/matter
matter
[mat-er]
noun
1. the substance or substances of which any physical object consists or is composed:
"the matter of which the earth is made."
2. physical or corporeal substance in general, whether solid, liquid, or gaseous, especially
as distinguished from incorporeal substance, as spirit or mind, or from qualities, actions,
and the like.
3. something that occupies space.

Matter is the Stuff Around You

Matter is everything around you. Atoms and molecules are all composed of matter. Matter
is anything that has mass and takes up space. If you are new to the idea of mass, it is the
amount of stuff in an object.
Even though matter can be found all over the Universe, you will only find it in a few forms
on Earth. We cover five states of matter. Each of those states is sometimes called a
phase. There are many other states of matter that exist in extreme environments.
Scientists will probably discover more states as we continue to explore the Universe.

Five States of Matter

You should know about solids, liquids, gases, plasmas, and one state called the BoseEinstein condensate (BEC). Scientists have always known about solids, liquids, and gases.
Plasma was a new idea when it was identified by William Crookes in 1879. The scientists
who worked with the Bose-Einstein condensate received a Nobel Prize for their work in
1995.
What makes a state of matter? It's about the physical state of the molecules and atoms.
Think about solids. They are often hard and brittle. Liquids are fluidy, can move around a
little, and fill up containers. Gases are always around you, but the molecules of a gas are
much farther apart than the molecules in a liquid. If a gas has an odor, youll be able to
smell it before you can see it. The BEC is all about atoms that are even closer and less
energetic than atoms in a solid.

http://www.chem4kids.com/files/matter_intro.html