Overview of the Study of

Matter
In the study of matter, there are theories about what it consists of
and how it behaves. Matter can be broken into particles. There are
different states of matter, depending on temperature and pressure
on the material.
What are the theories of matter?
What are the particles of matter?
What are the states of matter?

Theories of matter
Originally, matter was defined as something that takes up space and
has weight. This is all the stuff around us. It took a while for
scientists to realize that air and other gases were also matter. The
scientific definition of matter is that it is something that has mass.
On closer examination of matter, at the microscopic level, it was
found that matter was not continuous but was made up of tiny
particles. This brought about the Molecular Theory of Matter and
then the Atomic Theory of Matter, which states that matter
consisted of tiny particles called molecules and atoms.
It was then thought that atoms were the smallest units of matter
and were indivisible. However, further experiments showed that
atoms were made up of even smaller subatomic particles: protons,
neutrons, and electrons.

Particles of matter
Starting with everyday objects, you can examine them closely with
instruments to see that they are made up of smaller and smaller
particles.
Known particles of matterin order of decreasing sizeare:
Molecules
Atoms

States of matter
A quantity of matter can exist in several different states or phases,
depending on its temperature and external pressure on the
material. These states are:
Solid
Liquid
Gas

Vocabulary
Matter: Anything that has mass
Solid: firm or hard : not having the form of a gas or liquid

Liquid: capable of flowing freely like water : not a solid or a gas

Gas: a substance (such as oxygen or hydrogen) that is like air and has no fixed
shape
Plasma: a substance that is similar to a gas but that can carry electricity

Atom: the smallest particle of a substance that can exist by itself or be combined
with other atoms to form a molecule
Molecule: the smallest possible amount of a particular substance that has all the
characteristics of that substance
Proton: a very small particle of matter that is part of the nucleus of an atom and
that has a positive electrical charge
Neutron: a very small particle of matter that has no electrical charge
Electron: a very small particle of matter that has a negative charge of electricity