NOS and Matter Unit Test Study Guide 2016-17
You should be able to:
Identify the following science tools, how to use them and read the measurements they give, and know what units are
used with them.
Tool
Name
Use/Unit Used
Meter stick OR metric ruler
Measures length in
millimeters (mm),
centimeters (cm), or meters
(m)
Triple-beam balance
Measures mass in grams (g)
Graduated cylinder
Measures volume in
milliliters (mL)
**MOST PRECISE**
Thermometer
Measures temperature in
degrees Celsius (°C)
Know how to use a graduated cylinder to find the volume of an irregular object
The volume of liquid in a graduated cylinder is 20mL.
You put a ball in the cylinder, and water rises to 35 mL.
The volume of the ball is 15mL.
(Volume AFTER the ball is added) – (Volume BEFORE ball is added) = Volume of ball
Know how to find the mass of an object if it is in a container.
A beaker with water has a mass of 300g. The mass of the beaker by itself is 50g. What is the mass of the water?
(Mass of BOTH) – (Mass of Beaker ONLY) = Mass of water only
300g – 50g =250g
Know the following steps of the Scientific Method (in order) and be able to explain each one
1. Ask Questions and Make Observations
 The purpose for WHY you are doing the experiment
2. Hypothesize and Predict
 Hypothesis


3.
4.
5.
6.
Makes an observation and gives an explanation
Written using If and Then
o IF I put a plant in a dark room, THEN it will not grow because plants need light to
grow.
 Predict -- State what you think will happen next
Conduct the experiment (Test)
 Materials List -- The list of items you need
 Procedures -- The steps you need to follow (directions)
 Do the actual test
 Collect data / Write down observations
 Use a data table to keep track of what you find out
Analyze Results
 Graph
 Make calculations
 Look over your observations
Draw conclusions
 A paragraph telling if your hypothesis was proven or unproven and why
 A summary of what you found out
Communicate Results
 Share what you found out
Know how to write a hypothesis.

Write a hypothesis for this example: A plant is left in a dark room. What will happen?
 Hypothesis: If I leave the plant in a dark room, then it will not grow because plants need light to
grow.
Know the difference between inferring and observing.


Observing is using your 5 senses to explain what you can actually see/hear/smell/taste/touch.
 Example: If a test gets passed back, and a student starts to cry, I can observe tears running down
their face, and I can hear them sniffling.
Inferring is using what you already know to make a guess as to what is happening.
 Example: If a test gets passed back, and a student starts to cry, I can infer that they did not do well
on the test.
Know the difference between an independent, dependent and constant variable.

Identify variables in an experiment
 Independent variable – “I” choose it. The item in the experiment that is chosen by the scientist to
test. It is what you are testing.
 Dependent variable – What is measured. It “depends” on the independent variable.
 Constant variable – What stays the same throughout the experiment
When given a paragraph of data, be able to create a data table and graph based on the data.


Data Table
 How to set up your data table (1st column is the Independent Variable, the 2nd column is the
Dependent Variable)
 Include a column heading as the first item in each column
 Include a title for the entire data table
Graph




Know that the x-axis contains the independent variable and the y-axis contains the dependent
variable.
Be able to create an appropriate scale on the y-axis
Include an axis title on both the x and y axis
Include a title for the entire graph
Example: A student was curious about domesticated (tame) animals. He decided to find out what was the
favorite pet of students at his school, Canga Roo Middle School. He found out that 420 students like dogs, 217
students like cats, 145 students like fish, 122 students like birds, and 61 students liked a variety of animals he
termed as “other”.
Using the information above, create a data table (below) and then a bar graph (on graph paper).
Canga Roo Middle School Students Favorite Domesticated Animals
Animal
Dogs
Cats
Fish
Birds
Other
Number of Students
420
217
145
122
61
Number of Students
Canga Roo Middle School Students Favorite Domesticated
Animals
500
400
300
200
100
0
Dogs
Cats
Fish
Birds
Other
Animals
Know how to calculate the mean, median, mode and range of a data set



Mean – average
o Add all of the numbers together and divide by the total number of numbers
o 23+24+25+26+27 = 125
o 125/5=25
Median – middle number
o Put the numbers in order, then find the one in the middle
o 23, 26, 27, 23, 25
 23, 23, 25, 26, 27
 The middle number is 25
o 23, 26, 27, 23, 25, 26
 23, 23, 25, 26, 26, 27
 The middle numbers are 25 and 26, so the median is 25.5
Mode – the number that appears most often in the data set
o 23, 23, 25, 27, 26, 28

o 23 is the mode because there are 2 of them
o You can have NO MODE or MORE THAN ONE MODE
Range – the difference between the highest and lowest number in the data set
o 23, 23, 25, 27, 26, 28
o 28-23 = 5, so the range is 5
Define Physical and Chemical Properties
o
o
Physical Property – a property you can observe WITHOUT changing the identity of the substances that
make it up.
Chemical Property – the ability or inability of a substance to combine with or change into one or more
NEW substances.
Name physical properties of matter and explain what they are
o
Mass (the amount of matter in an object; stays the SAME no matter where you are) and weight
(gravity’s pull on the object; changes based on where you are; an object on the moon has LESS weight
than one on Earth), Volume (the amount of space an object takes up), Density (mass per unit of volume),
Melting Point (temperature where a solid changes state to a liquid), Boiling Point (temperature where a
liquid changes state to a gas), Solubility (dissolving)
Name chemical properties of matter and explain what they are
o
Flammability, ability to rust, ability to react with oxygen
Calculate the volume of a rectangular prism (the formula will NOT be provided!)
o
o
Length x Width x Height = Volume
Also know the UNIT for volume (units3), usually cm3
Calculate the density of an object (the formula will NOT be provided!)
o
o
Mass / Volume = Density
Also know the UNIT for density (g/cm3)
Be able to identify the different properties of a Solid, Liquid, and Gas
o
o
o
Solid

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


Liquid





Gas

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Definite shape
Definite volume
Particles are tightly packed
Strong attraction between particles
Particles move by vibrating, and move slowly
Indefinite shape
Definite volume
Particles are close together, but not as close as solids
Attraction of particles is weaker than in solids
Particles are free to move past neighboring particles, and move faster than solids
Indefinite shape
Indefinite volume
Particles are very far apart
Attraction between particles is very weak
Particles move freely, and very quickly
o
Describe how adding energy (HEAT) will change substances from a solid, to a liquid, to a gas.
 SOLID
LIQUID
GAS
+ Heat Energy
+ Heat Energy
Be able to identify the difference between chemical and physical changes
o
o
Physical change – does not cause a new substance to form
 Dissolving, changing state, changing shape or form
 Examples: sugar mixing with water, water turning to ice, apple being sliced
Chemical change – causes a new substance to form
 Signs of a chemical change include formation of a gas, color change, or precipitate being formed
(two liquids mix together make a solid)
 Examples: Alka-Seltzer in water gives off bubbles, leaves changing colors, bread baking
Law of Conservation of Mass
o
o
States that when a chemical change occurs, the mass before the chemical change is the SAME as the
mass after the chemical change
Mass also does not change during a physical change