physical property

- a property of matter that can be measured or observed without matter changing to an entirely different substance
- can be detected by the senses

You can see that snow and sand have a different color.

You can feel that snow is softer than sand.

Both color and hardness are physical properties of matter.

What differences between snow and sand can you detect with your senses?

• ability to conduct heat

• ability to conduct electricity

• malleable - able to be shaped

• ductile - can be rolled and stretched into long thin shapes

What are some physical properties of this copper wire?

Both of these observations are examples of physical properties:

• solubility - the ability to dissolve in other substances

• density - how closely packed the particles of matter are to each other

This is lemonade. It contains dissolved sugar. The ice cubes float at the top because they are less dense than the lemonade.

All of these are physical properties of matter!

• boiling point - the temperature at which a substance boils

• melting point - the temperature at which a substance melts

• freezing point - the temperature at which a substance freezes

As adorable as they are, these skunks have a very distinct odor.

Odor is a physical property of matter.

Let's apply what we've learned!

Taste, shape, and texture are also examples of physical properties!

We already know that color is an example of a physical property.