1.6. Follow-up Speaking
Encyclopedic knowledge
- Preview the seven questions in the boxes.
- Read the passage.
- List at least six properties that were described in the reading.
| What are our five senses?
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We use our five senses everyday to make observations of matter. By seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting, we identify matter based on its physical properties. During science lab, it is generally safer to use only seeing and hearing unless your teacher directs you to do otherwise.
| What does “classify” mean?
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We can classify matter based on the physical properties we observe. For example, as you look around the room, you will notice that matter comes in many colors. You can classify matter into groups of greens, reds, blues, and so on. Color is a property that we observe when light interacts with matter and our eyes.
| What are the three states of matter?
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Another physical property of matter that is sometimes easily observed is shape. If the matter is a solid, it usually keeps its own shape. Some solids have straight, regular sides while other solids are very irregular in their shape. Think about a liquid such as water or a gas such as air. Liquids and gases do not keep a particular shape. Liquids and gases take the shape of their container.
Some properties of matter can be observed by using only your senses, but some properties require measurement with a tool. Length, or the distance between two points, can be measured using tools such as rulers or meter sticks. In science lab, we will generally use the units of meters (m), centimeters (cm), and millimeters (mm) when measuring the physical property of length.
Volume is the physical property that measures the amount of space an object takes up. A graduated cylinder is used to measure the volume of liquids in milliliters (mL). The volume of a solid is generally recorded in units of cubic centimeters (cm3).
Mass is another important physical property that requires measurement with a tool. The double pan balance or the triple beam balance measures mass or the amount of matter in an object. When measuring mass, we will use the unit of grams (g).
Density is a property that describes how much matter is packed into a given space. In other words, density is how much mass is in a given unit of volume. The formula for finding density is: volume xd = mass
Make a concept map:
Steps:
1. Identify and list the key concepts in the topic to be mapped.
2. Place each concept into a separate box.
3. Organize the key concepts with the most general ones at the top and the most specific ones at the bottom.
The Study of Matter
