Ch 04.2: Matter, Mass, Volume, and Density

​At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. Define matter.

2. State what mass measures.

3. State what volume measures.

4. Define density.

5. Demonstrate how to calculate density.

matter

- anything that has mass and volume (takes up space)

mass

- measure of the amount of matter in a substance or an object
- SI unit is the kilogram (kg), but is commonly measured using grams (g)
- measured with a triple-beam balance

- measures the force of gravity acting on an object
- measured in pounds (lb)
- varies dependent on the force of gravity

Weight

- measures the amount of matter in an object
- measured in kg or g
- is a constant

Mass

volume

- measure of the amount of space that a substance or an object takes up
- SI unit for the volume of a solid is the cubic meter (m3) or cubic centimeter (cm3)
- SI unit for the volume of a liquid is the liter (L) or milliliter (mL)

How do you measure the volume of a gas?

- depends on the volume of its container
- gases expand to fill whatever space is available to them

How do you measure the volume of a liquid?

- with a graduated cylinder

How do you measure the volume of a regular solid?

multiply: length x width x height

How do you measure the volume of an irregularly-shaped solid?

displacement method
(You learned this in Chapters 02/03.)

density

- how closely packed the particles of matter are
- calculated by dividing mass by volume
D = m / V
- usually measured in g/cm3 or g/mL

​Additional examples of physical properties include:
- mass
- weight
- volume
- density