Hey there! Have you ever wondered what everything around you is made of? Well, it’s all made of something called matter. Matter is everywhere, from your soccer ball to your iPad, and even your pet Fluffy. But what exactly is matter?
Matter is anything that has weight and takes up space. You know what weight is, right? It’s how heavy something is. Like when you go to the doctor, they ask you to stand on a scale to see how much you weigh. Taking up space means that matter has volume, which is the amount of space it fills. For example, when you pour water into a glass, the water’s volume is the space it occupies in the glass.
Matter comes in different forms, known as states. The three main states of matter are solids, liquids, and gases.
Liquids are a state of matter that you’re probably familiar with. When you pour a drink, the liquid takes up space in your glass. If the glass is full and you keep pouring, it spills over, right? That’s because liquids have volume. They also have weight, like when you carry a water bottle. As you drink from it, it gets lighter because you’re removing some of the water.
Solids are another state of matter. They’re probably the most obvious kind. Rocks are solid, and so is ice, which is just frozen water. Things like soccer balls, iPads, and even your pet Fluffy are solids. All these things have weight and take up space.
Now, here’s something interesting: some matter can’t be seen or felt, but it’s still there. Like the air we breathe. Air is an example of gas, the third main state of matter. You might wonder how we know air is there if we can’t see it. Well, we can prove it with a simple experiment.
To find out if air is matter, we need to check if it takes up space and has weight. First, let’s see if air takes up space. If you drop an empty balloon into a box, it fits easily. But if you blow up the balloon, it won’t fit because the air inside the balloon takes up more space than the empty box.
Now, let’s see if air has weight. Take two empty balloons and tape them to the ends of a meter stick. Hang the meter stick on a string so it’s balanced. Then, blow up one of the balloons and put it back on the meter stick. The side with the full balloon sinks because it weighs more than the empty one. This shows that air has weight.
So, remember: matter is anything that has weight and takes up space, whether it’s a liquid, a solid, or a gas. Next time someone says something doesn’t matter, you can tell them that technically everything is matter!
Explore the States of Matter: Go on a scavenger hunt around your home or classroom to find examples of solids, liquids, and gases. Make a list or draw pictures of what you find. For example, you might find a rock (solid), a glass of water (liquid), and a balloon filled with air (gas). Discuss with a friend or family member why each item fits into its category.
Balloon Experiment: Try the balloon experiment from the article at home. Inflate a balloon and see how it takes up space. Then, weigh the balloon before and after inflating it using a kitchen scale, if available. Talk about what you observe. Does the balloon weigh more when it’s filled with air? Why do you think that is?
Weight and Volume Challenge: Fill a small container with water and mark the water level. Add different small objects (like a pebble, a coin, or a small toy) one at a time and observe how the water level changes. Discuss how this shows that the objects take up space (have volume) and have weight. What happens to the water level with each object? Why do you think that happens?
