1. Chapter 2: The Properties of Matter
Section 1: What is Matter
Everything Is Made of Matter
• Matter is anything that has volume and mass
• Everything is made of matter
Matter Has Volume
• All matter takes up space
• Volume is how much space an object takes up
• Two objects cannot take up the same space at the same
time
Volume of a Liquid
o Liquids have volume too. We use a graduated cylinder
to measure the volume of a liquid.
o Liters and milliliters are the units (label) for volume of
a liquid
Volume of a Solid
o To measure volume you need to multiply
length x width x height
o cm or m are the units (label) used for volume of
3 3
solids
o 1 ml = 1 cm
3
Volume of a Gas
o Gas also has volume

2. Matter Has Mass
• All matter has mass
• Mass is the amount of matter something is made of
• The only time an object’s mass will change is if the amount
of matter in the object changes.
The Difference Between Mass and Weight
• Weight is different from mass
• Gravity is a force of attraction between objects based on
their masses
• Every object has a gravitational force. This keeps
everything on Earth from floating into space. (The bigger
the mass, the greater the gravitational force)
• Weight measures how much gravitational force is being put
on an object
Measuring Mass and Weight
Mass and Weight are Different
MASS WEIGHT
• Mass is the amount of matter • Weight is a measure of the
in an object gravitational force on an object
• Mass always stays the same • Weight changes. It depends on
no matter where on Earth the where the object is on Earth
object is

3. • Mass is measured with a • Weight is
balance measured with a
spring scale
• Units= grams (g), kilograms • Unit = Newtons (N)
(kg), milligrams (mg)
Chapter 2: The Properties of Matter
Section 2: Describing Matter
Physical Properties
• A physical property is something that you can observe or
measure about matter without changing the identity of the
matter
• Some examples are: color, odor, taste, texture, size, volume,
mass, if it is a liquid or a solid
• For example, some physical properties of water are that it
is a liquid, it is colorless, and it is odorless
Physical Properties Identify Matter
• Physical properties help you to figure out what type of
matter an object is
• Use the chart on the next page to learn about other

4. important physical properties:
Physical Properties
The Property What it Means Example
Thermal When something can Metal is a good
Conductivity transfer heat from conductor. That is
one area to another why your spoon
becomes hot if you
put it in hot soup
State Whether the Ice is water when it
substance is a solid, is a solid
liquid, or a gas
Malleability When something can Aluminum is
be pounded into a malleable- it can be
thin sheet without pounded into a thin
falling apart sheet to make tin
foil
Ductility When something can Copper can be used
be made into a wire for wiring
Solubility When a something Sugar and salt can
can dissolve in both dissolve in
another substance water
Density The amount of Lead is used to make
matter in a certain sinkers for fishing
space lines because it is

5. more dense than
water and will sink
Spotlight on Density
• You find density by dividing mass by volume.
Density = mass/volume
• The units used for density are g/cm3, g/mL
Using Density to Identify Substances
• Density is useful for identifying substance.
• It is the reason why a golf ball feels heavier than a table-
tennis ball even through they are the same size. A golf ball
feels heavier because it is more dense (it has more mass in
the same amount of space than a table-tennis ball)
• The density of an object does not change
• The density of one substance is usually different than the
density of another substance (every substance has its own
density)
Liquid Layers and The Density Challenge
• Look at the picture on page 46 of your textbook (Figure 12).
The jar is filled with 4 different liquids with different
densities.
The green substance is the most dense because it all sinks to the
bottom. The yellow substance is the least dense because it floats

6. to the top. It does not matter how much of each of these liquids
you have, the green substance will always sink to the bottom and
the yellow will always float to the top because of their densities.
Chemical Properties
• Chemical Properties describe a substance based on its
ability to change into a new substance with different
properties. (Example: wood burning and turning into ash and
smoke)
• Some common chemical properties are:
o Flammability (the ability for an object to catch fire)
o Reactivity with oxygen, acid, or water
Observing Chemical Properties
• Chemical properties aren’t as easy to observe as physical
properties
Some Chemical Properties of Car Maintenance
• Most cars are made of steel. Steel is made from iron. A
chemical property of iron is that it reacts with oxygen, so
when iron and oxygen come into contact, the iron rusts.
Physical Vs. Chemical Properties
• Characteristic properties are the properties that are the

7. most useful in identifying a substance. (Physical and
chemical properties)
• Examples are density, reactivity with acids, and solubility
(able to dissolve)
• Characteristic properties of a substance do not change
Physical Changes Don’t Form New Substances
• A physical change is a change that affects physical
properties of a substance.
• For example- if you break a piece of chalk into two pieces,
you change the physical properties of size and shape. But
no matter how many times you break it, chalk is still chalk.
Examples of Physical Changes
• Melting and dissolving are both examples of physical
changes.
• Freezing water
• Sanding a piece of wood
• Cutting your hair
• Bending a paper clip
• Crushing an aluminum can
Can Physical Change Be Undone?
• Physical changes do not change the identity of substances.
During physical changes, the substance does not turn into a
new substance
• Physical changes are easy to undo

8. Chemical Changes Form New Substances
• A chemical change happens when substances are changed
into new substances with different properties
• Example- When you bake a cake, you combine eggs, flour,
sugar, and butter. Each ingredient has its own set of
properties. When you mix the ingredients and bake them,
you get something completely different, a cake, with
different properties than any of the ingredients.
Clues to Chemical Change
• Chemical changes usually cause substances to change
color, fizz, foam, bubble, heat, or produce sound, light, or
an odor.
Can Chemical Changes Be Undone?
• Since new substances are formed during a chemical
change, it is not easy to be undone
• Example- You cannot unbake a cake