Matter Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is Matter?
Matter is something that occupies space and has mass. Everything around us is made of matter, from the air we breathe to the food we eat. Matter exists in several states, including solid, liquid, and gas. It can also be found in different forms such as energy or plasma. Each state of matter has its own unique properties that make it distinct from other states. Solids are rigid and maintain their shape due to strong intermolecular forces between particles in a crystal lattice structure. Liquids flow freely due to weak intermolecular forces between particles while gases have no definite shape or volume because they consist of loosely packed molecules which move randomly in all directions with high kinetic energy. Plasma is an ionized form of matter consisting mainly of positively charged ions and free electrons moving randomly at very high speeds.Matter can be divided into two broad categories: organic and inorganic material. Organic materials are made up primarily of carbon-based compounds derived from living organisms while non-living things like rocks, metals, minerals, water etc., constitute inorganic material. In addition to these two main types there are several subcategories within each type such as organic polymers (plastics), natural substances( wood)etc., for organic materials; metallic elements (iron), alloys (steel) etc., for metallic substances; salts (sodium chloride) , oxides(magnesium oxide); acids & bases (HCl & NaOH). The study of matter is known as physical chemistry which deals with the chemical relationships between atoms and molecules making up any substance/materials along with their structures and properties such as boiling point, melting point etc.. In conclusion , Matter is an essential part of our world .It not only makes up everything around us but plays a vital role in understanding how various materials interact with each other on both microscopic & macroscopic levels .