Physical Properties

Unit 2- Rocks and MineralsOct. 2015

Objectives

• Recognize Characteristic Properties of Matter • Distinguish mass from weight • Identify Unknown Substances By Measuring &

Observing Characteristic Properties • Measure & Calculate Density of Matter

Matter

• Remember, matter is anything that has mass and volume.

• Mass and volume are two physical characteristics or properties of matter.

Physical Characteristics of Matter

• Physical characteristics are properties that describe how the object looks, feels, tastes, etc. They are descriptions of what it is.

• Physical characteristics of matter include its mass, weight, volume, and density.

Mass

• Mass – Mass is a general property of matter that is the amount of matter it an object. In other words, it is the amount of “stuff” there is.

• Does NOT change from place to place• Use a triple-beam balance to calculate• The units you will use are grams (g) and

sometimes kilograms (kg).

Weight

• The weight of an object is determined by the force of the pull of gravity on the object.

• Weight varies based on location.• In science, the standard unit for weight is

called the Newton (N).

Volume

• Volume – Volume describes how much space matter occupies.

• The amount of space that an object takes up is the object’s volume.

• The standard units that you will use are milliliters (mL), liters (L) and cubic centimeters (cm3or cc).

Density

• Density is the mass per unit volume of an object and it allows you to compare different types of matter

• Density = Mass / Volume• So density is expressed as gram per milliliter (g

/ mL) or grams per cubic centimeter (g / cm3).

Densities of Common Substances

Density Problems

• A student measures the mass of a 5 cm3 block of sugar to be 13.2 g. What is the density of the sugar?

Density Problem

• Calculate the volume of a liquid with with a density of 5.5 g/cm3 and a mass of 70 g.

Density Problem

• Calculate the mass of a liquid with a density of 3 g/mL and a volume of 5.5 mL.

Remember