Matter - ESO 1 Science - Science Helpdesk

What to Learn

Matter, quantities, measuring devices and the International System of Units.
Mass, volume, density and temperature.
Pure substances, homogeneous mixtures and heterogeneous mixtures.
Separation of mixtures: sieving, decanting, filtering and distilling.
The particle theory. Atoms, molecules and crystals.
Chemical elements. The Periodic Table. Chemical symbols, atomic number, atomic mass.
Chemical compounds. Molecular formulas and structural representations of molecules.
The properties of solids, liquids and gases explained through the particle theory.
The changes of state explained through the particle theory.
Expansion and contraction by heat explained through the particle theory.

Key Information

The International System of Units

The International System of Units (abbreviated SI from the French language name Système international d'unités) is the world's most widely used system of units. The SI was developed in 1960 and, with few exceptions, is used in every country in the world.

The SI base units for the seven primary quantities are:

Quantity	Name	Symbol
Length	metre	m
Mass	kilogram	kg
Time	second	s
Electric current	ampere	A
Temperature	kelvin	K
Amount of substance	mole	mol
Luminous intensity	candela	cd

Symbols are written in lower case, except for symbols derived from the name of a person. For example, the unit of electric current is named after André-Marie Ampère, so its symbol is written "A", whereas the unit itself is written "ampere". The only exception is the litre, whose original symbol "l" is unsuitably similar to the numeral "1"; thus it is recommended that "L" be used instead.

Abbreviated symbols should not be pluralized: for example "25 kg", not "25 kgs".

Symbols do not have an appended period (.) unless at the end of a sentence.

A prefix may be added to units to produce a multiple of the original unit. All multiples are integer powers of ten. For example, kilo- denotes a multiple of a thousand and milli- denotes a multiple of a thousandth. The SI main prefixes are as follows:

Name	giga	mega	kilo	hecto	deca	deci	centi	milli	micro	nano
Symbol	G	M	k	h	da	d	c	m	µ	n
Factor	10⁹	10⁶	10³	10²	10¹	10^-1	10^-2	10^-3	10^-6	10^-9

Quantities

Quantities are the measurable properties of the physical bodies. Some of the most important ones are the following:

Mass	Is the amount of matter in a body. Its unit in the SI is the kg.
Volume	Tells how much space an object occupies. Its unit in the SI is the m³.
Capacity	Is the amount of space that can be contained by a body. It is measured in L.
Density	Expresses how concentrated is the matter in a body, this is, how much matter is there in a given unit of volume in a body. It is always the same for the same type of substance, this is, it doesn't depend on the size of the object. Its unit in the SI is the kg/m³.
Temperature	It is not a kind of energy but a measure of the amount of heat in a body. It depends on the movement of its particles: the quicker the movement, the higher the temperature. Its unit in the SI is the K, but is commonly expressed in °C or °F.

Characteristics of Some of the Common Chemical Elements Found in the Earth's Crust

	Symbol	Atomic number	Atomic mass	% in continental crust	Required for Life
Aluminum	Al	13	27	8.2300	No
Bromine	Br	35	80	0.00025	No
Calcium	Ca	20	40	4.1000	Yes
Carbon	C	6	12	0.0200	Yes
Chlorine	Cl	17	35.5	0.0130	No
Cobalt	Co	27	59	0.0025	No
Copper	Cu	29	63.5	0.0055	Yes
Fluorine	F	9	19	0.0625	No
Gold	Au	79	197	0.0000004	No
Hydrogen	H	1	1	1.4000	Yes
Iodine	I	53	127	0.00005	No
Iron	Fe	26	56	5.6000	Yes
Lead	Pb	82	207	0.00125	No
Lithium	Li	3	6	0.0020	No
Magnesium	Mg	12	24	2.3000	Yes
Manganese	Mn	25	55	0.0950	Yes
Mercury	Hg	80	201	0.000008	No
Molybdenum	Mo	42	96	0.00015	Yes
Nickel	Ni	28	59	0.0075	No
Nitrogen	N	7	14	0.0020	Yes
Oxygen	O	8	16	46.4000	Yes
Phosphorus	P	15	31	0.1050	Yes
Potassium	K	19	39	2.1000	Yes
Silicon	Si	14	28	28.2000	No
Silver	Ag	47	108	0.000007	No
Sodium	Na	11	23	2.4000	No
Sulphur	S	16	32	0.0260	Yes
Tin	Sn	50	119	0.00020	No
Uranium	U	92	238	0.00027	No
Zinc	Zn	30	65	0.0070	Yes

Mind Map: Calcium

Source

External Links

Miscellaneous

Matter in Chem4kids.

States of matter, mixtures, solutions and more.

Measuring the Properties of Matter

International System of Units (I).

Definitions and pronunciation for some of the units of the SI at the Visual Dictionary.

International System of Units (II).

More definitions and pronunciation for some of the units of the SI at the Visual Dictionary.

Measuring devices.

Measuring devices of temperature, time, weight, thickness, distance, length and angles in the Visual Dictionary.

Atoms and Molecules

Chemistry.

Images, definitions and pronunciation of matter components, chemical elements and laboratory equipment in the Visual Dictionary.

Can you name the elements of the Periodic Table?

Test how many names of chemical elements can you remember in 15 minutes.

Interactives: The Periodic Table.

Excellent advanced lesson on the Periodic Table and the structure of the atoms, with interactive activities.

Chemistry games.

Eight online games to teach you the chemical elements, periodic table, and more.

Periodic Table of the elements (I).

A very good Periodic Table to learn about the properties, occurrrence and the applications of every chemical element.

Periodic Table of the elements (II).

In many different languages and with links to the Wikipedia articles on each one of the chemical elements.

Periodic Table of the elements in pictures.

This one presents, for every element of the Table, a picture of some object or material where the chemical element is present. Just great.

The Periodic Table of Videos.

Learn about the chemical elements by watching one video for each one of them. Awesome.

The chemical elements song.

An entertaining way to get to know their very strange names.

Atoms in Chem4kids.com.

Atoms, atomic particles, compounds and more.

Build an atom.

Build interactively your favourite atom. (You've got one, don't you?). Tip: hit the "Next" button to the bottom, scroll up, and then hit "Enter" in your keyboard consecutively to not no have to scroll vertically anymore.

Materials

How plastics work.

Plastics are everywhere. While you're reading this, there are probably numerous plastic items within your reach (your computer, your pen, your phone). A plastic is any material that can be shaped or molded into any form. Some are naturally occurring, but most are man-made. Learn more about them.

How iron and steel work.

If you had to name the technologies that had the greatest effect on modern society, the refining of the heavy metal element iron would have to be near the top. Iron makes up a huge array of modern products, especially the carbon-rich one, which we call steel. Learn more.