Science Unit 1: Matter and materials.
Unit index
1. What is matter? What is a material?
2. Materials.
2.1. Natural and manufactured materials.
2.2. Specific properties of materials.
3. General properties of matter: Mass and volume.
4. Density and buoyancy
------------------------Science dictionary:
Wool
Flexible
Matter
Cotton
Rigid
Materials
Fabric
Elastic
Property
Leather
Mass
Natural
Silk
Amount
Manufactured:
Bone
Volume
Steel
To be made from
Space
Rubber
To be made of
Density
Glass
Opaque
Heavy
Wood
Transparent
Light
Chalk
Fragile
Buoyancy
Clay
Resistant
Float
Plastic
Hard
Sink
Oil
Soft
--------------------------1. What is matter? What is a material?
Matter is anything that has weight and occupies space.
Matter can´t be created or destroyed; it just changes from one
state or form to another.
Matter exists in three states: solid, liquid or gas.
Matter makes up different materials: steel, rubber, wood, plastic,
wool, cotton… Different materials have different properties and
different objects are made of different materials.
2. Materials.
2.1. Natural and manufactured materials.
Natural materials come from nature (animals, plants or minerals), like oil, clay, aluminium,
diamond, chalk, cotton, wood, rubber, wool, silk, bone or leather.
Manufactured materials are made from natural materials which are transformed in a
manufactured process, like steel, plastic, paper, glass or fabric.
2.2. Specific properties of materials.
Different materials have different properties. They are the specific properties of each material.
− Opaque or transparent: If the let the light passes through it.
− Fragile or resistant: if they are easy or difficult to break.
− Hard or soft: If they are easy or difficult to scratch or cut.
− Flexible or rigid: if they are easy or difficult to bend.
−
Elastic: If they are easy to stretch.
3. General properties of matter: Mass and volume.
Mass is the amount of matter something has. We measure mass in grams and
kilograms. We use a scale to measure mass.
Volume is the amount of space that something occupies. We measure volume in
liters or cm3. We use a jug to measure volume.
Solid have a definitive volume and a definitive shape
Liquids have a definitive volume but they don’t have a definitive shape.
Gas don´t have a definitive volume or a definitive shape.
4. Density and bouyancy
Density is the amount of matter in a certain amount of space. In
other words, how close matter is in a material. It defines if the
material is heavy or light.
We find density dividing the mass of an object by its volume. We measure it in kg/l.
Density explains why some objects float and why others sink.
We called that force buoyancy.