Quote: "In classical physics and general chemistry, matter is any substance with mass and takes up space by having volume."
The basic building block of everything around us. This topic covers the properties of matter, how matter can exist in different states, and the laws of physics that govern the behavior of matter.
States of Matter: These include solid, liquid, and gas. Understanding the properties of each state is important in understanding how matter behaves in different conditions.
Physical and Chemical Properties: These are characteristics of matter that can be observed or measured without changing the identity of the substance. It is essential to understand how physical and chemical properties help in the identification of substances.
Atoms and Elements: Atoms are the building blocks of matter, while elements are pure substances made up of one type of atom. Understanding these concepts is crucial in understanding the composition of matter.
Molecules and Compounds: Molecules are formed when two or more atoms bond together chemically, while compounds are pure substances made up of two or more different elements. Understanding the structure and behavior of molecules and compounds helps in understanding chemical reactions.
Chemical Reactions: Chemical reactions occur when atoms rearrange themselves to form new substances. Understanding how chemical reactions occur is essential in predicting the behavior of matter.
Physics of Matter: This topic covers the physical principles that govern the behavior of matter, such as conservation of mass, energy, and momentum. Understanding these principles helps in predicting the outcomes of different physical processes.
Energy and Matter: Energy is closely related to matter since they are interchangeable. This topic covers concepts such as the law of conservation of energy and how energy is transferred between different forms.
Thermodynamics: Thermodynamics is the study of energy and heat exchange in physical processes. Understanding the principles of thermodynamics helps in predicting the behavior of matter and energy in different situations.
Waves and Particles: Matter can behave as both waves and particles. This topic covers the principles of wave-particle duality and how it affects the behavior of matter.
Quantum Mechanics: Quantum mechanics is the branch of physics that deals with the behavior of matter on a microscopic level. Understanding the principles of quantum mechanics helps in understanding the behavior of atoms and molecules.
Solid: Solid matter has a fixed volume and shape. The atoms in a solid are tightly packed together.
Liquid: Liquid matter has a fixed volume but can take the shape of its container. The atoms in a liquid are close together but can move around more freely than in a solid.
Gas: Gas matter has no fixed volume or shape. The atoms in a gas are far apart and move around rapidly.
Plasma: Plasma is a state of matter that occurs at high temperatures. It is similar to a gas but with charged particles that can conduct electricity.
Bose-Einstein Condensate: A Bose-Einstein Condensate is a state of matter that occurs at extremely low temperatures. Atoms in this state become a single entity and can behave like waves.
Energy: Energy is not matter but can be thought of as the ability to do work. It can take on many different forms, like thermal, mechanical, electrical, and radiation.
Dark matter: Dark matter is an unknown form of matter that does not interact with light. It is thought to exist because of its gravitational effects.
Antimatter: Antimatter is a type of matter that has the opposite charge of normal matter. When matter and antimatter come into contact, they annihilate each other, releasing energy.
Neutrinos: Neutrinos are subatomic particles that have no charge and almost no mass. They can pass through matter without interacting with it.
Cosmic rays: Cosmic rays are high-energy particles that originate in space. They can be dangerous to astronauts and can even damage electronic equipment.
Quote: "All everyday objects that can be touched are ultimately composed of atoms, which are made up of interacting subatomic particles."
Quote: "Matter generally includes atoms and anything made up of them, and any particles (or combination of particles) that act as if they have both rest mass and volume."
Quote: "However, it does not include massless particles such as photons or other energy phenomena or waves such as light or heat."
Quote: "Matter exists in various states (also known as phases). These include classical everyday phases such as solid, liquid, and gas – for example water exists as ice, liquid water, and gaseous steam – but other states are possible, including plasma, Bose–Einstein condensates, fermionic condensates, and quark–gluon plasma."
Quote: "Usually atoms can be imagined as a nucleus of protons and neutrons and a surrounding 'cloud' of orbiting electrons which 'take up space'."
Quote: "However, this is only somewhat correct because subatomic particles and their properties are governed by their quantum nature, which means they do not act as everyday objects appear to act – they can act like waves as well as particles, and they do not have well-defined sizes or positions."
Quote: "In the Standard Model of particle physics, matter is not a fundamental concept because the elementary constituents of atoms are quantum entities which do not have an inherent 'size' or 'volume' in any everyday sense of the word."
Quote: "Due to the exclusion principle and other fundamental interactions, some 'point particles' known as fermions (quarks, leptons), and many composites and atoms, are effectively forced to keep a distance from other particles under everyday conditions; this creates the property of matter which appears to us as matter taking up space."
Quote: "For much of the history of the natural sciences, people have contemplated the exact nature of matter."
Quote: "Early philosophers who proposed the particulate theory of matter include the ancient Indian philosopher Kanada (c. 6th-century BCE or after), pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Leucippus (~490 BCE), and pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Democritus (~470–380 BCE)."
Quote: "Matter is any substance with mass and takes up space by having volume."
Quote: "These include classical everyday phases such as solid, liquid, and gas – for example water exists as ice, liquid water, and gaseous steam."
Quote: "Other states are possible, including plasma, Bose–Einstein condensates, fermionic condensates, and quark–gluon plasma."
Quote: "All everyday objects that can be touched are ultimately composed of atoms, which are made up of interacting subatomic particles."
Quote: "Subatomic particles and their properties are governed by their quantum nature, which means they do not act as everyday objects appear to act – they can act like waves as well as particles, and they do not have well-defined sizes or positions."
Quote: "However, it does not include massless particles such as photons or other energy phenomena or waves such as light or heat."
Quote: "Matter is not a fundamental concept because the elementary constituents of atoms are quantum entities which do not have an inherent 'size' or 'volume' in any everyday sense of the word."
Quote: "Due to the exclusion principle and other fundamental interactions, some 'point particles' known as fermions (quarks, leptons), and many composites and atoms, are effectively forced to keep a distance from other particles under everyday conditions."
Quote: "This creates the property of matter which appears to us as matter taking up space."