Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and ended up stumbling out of bed? Then, SMASH! You hit something, and OWWW! It hurts. Well, that happened to me just last night. I got up to get some water, kicked something really hard, and now my toe hurts. So, bear with me as I tell you what happened next.
If you’re like me, this situation probably made you think of a few things. First, turning on the lights would have been a smart idea. Second, what did I trip over? And third, who left it there?! The second question is really important because it’s a big part of science: figuring out what something is.
Everything around us is made of matter, and all matter has properties. These are specific characteristics that make it different from other kinds of matter. Properties are things we can observe and measure, like an object’s length, width, height, and volume. But how can we use these properties to identify an object? Let’s find out!
Today, we’re going to solve the mystery of what I tripped over in the middle of the night. We’ll do this by examining the properties of the mystery object, which I have right here, hidden under a cloth.
Before we start, did you know there are different units to measure things? You can measure in feet, pounds, or gallons. But we’ll use the international standard units, also known as the metric system. These units include meters, grams, and liters. My measuring tape divides a meter into 100 smaller pieces called centimeters. Each centimeter is one-hundredth of a meter.
Now, let’s investigate the mystery object. Feeling around, it has nice straight sides, and two sides are larger than the other two. This means it’s a rectangle. Let’s measure its sides: it’s about 23 centimeters wide, 30 centimeters tall, and 5 centimeters high. We have some measurements, but that’s not enough to tell us what this thing is.
Let’s measure another property: its mass. For this, we need a scale. In the metric system, the unit of mass is called a gram. A paper clip has a mass of about a gram. Whatever this object is, it’s pretty heavy, almost three thousand grams.
So, we have an object that is heavy, hard, smooth, and rectangular. What could it be? It’s not a tennis racket, my socks, or my stuffed panda. And we’ve already ruled out my tablet. Oh, I know! It’s my science book! I was reading last night and put it on the floor before turning the lights out.
We identified the mystery object by observing and measuring its properties. We used the metric system to measure properties like mass in grams and dimensions in centimeters. These measurements gave us enough clues to solve the mystery of what I kicked in the dark. So, remember: when measuring, think metric. And when identifying objects, try not to use your toe!
Object Hunt at Home: Go on a treasure hunt around your house to find objects with different properties. Use a ruler to measure their length, width, and height in centimeters. Can you find something that is exactly 10 centimeters long? How about something that is heavier than a book? Write down your findings and share them with your family.
Guess the Object Game: With a friend or family member, take turns choosing an object and describing its properties without saying what it is. Use words like “heavy,” “light,” “smooth,” “rough,” “long,” or “short.” The other person has to guess what the object is based on your description. This will help you practice identifying objects by their properties.
Make Your Own Measuring Tape: Create a measuring tape using a strip of paper. Mark every centimeter on the strip using a ruler. Use your homemade measuring tape to measure small objects around your room. How many centimeters long is your favorite toy? This activity will help you understand the metric system better.
