Physical Changes

Observing Changes in Matter

For a paper maché art project, you crumple up a sheet of paper. What happens to it?  Does it look different? Does it feel different? Is it still paper?

For another art project, you make a torn paper collage. When cooking you might melt or freeze foods. Melting, freezing, and tearing are ways to change matter. The matter changes the way it looks, but not what it is. There are other changes that change the matter into something new.

Everything we see or feel is matter. Anything that has mass and takes up space is matter. Paper is matter. Ice cream is matter. Water is matter. What happens when you blow up a balloon? The space inside the balloon fills with air. Air is matter, too.

You can learn about matter by looking at its physical properties. Physical properties are the things we can see or measure. Color, size, and texture are physical properties.