PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Physical Science – the study of the properties and interactions of Matter and Energy
Q. What is matter?
A. the “stuff” that everything is made of
Matter is anything that has mass and volume –takes up space
AIR = matter
LIGHT = ENERGY
Q. What is energy?
A. Energy is the ability to make changes in matter
Q. What is mass?
A. Mass is the number of particles in something. Mass is constant -i.e., it doesn’t change
NOTE** EVERYTHING in the universe is either matter or energy
PROPERTIES OF MATTER
 Size
Smell
 Color
taste
 Texture
shape
weight
temperature
flexibility
* All scientists want to QUANTIFY these properties
They want to MEASURE everything…to find size they measure circumference or length, width, height
To measure color, they want to use a computer for a definite answer
* Scientist are not happy unless they can quantify (measure) a property
Exact shapes are easy to measure – ex. A rectangle. Just measure length, width, height
Irregular shapes (like a rock) are more difficult to measure
Smell –use a blindfold or measure on a computer
Taste can be done on a computer
Weight use a calibrated scale
Measuring Liquids = trickier
 The liquid often creeps up the sides of the container that holds it due to something called surface
tension
 Meniscus is the curved line that results when a liquid is measured in a graduated cylinder, vial, or
other container
 Always read the measurement of the liquid from the BOTTOM OF THE MENISCUS
There are many properties. They can be quantitative or qualitative.




Qualitative Property – describes “qualities” such as color, shape, or other descriptive
terms
Quantitative Property – Uses measurements of features – has a number
Example – to describe a person as “tall” is qualitative
Example – to describe a person as 6feet 10 inches is quantitative
Q. How do I get quantitative measurement?
A. I use measuring tools – scales, gauges, rulers, machines. etc.
READING SCALES AND GAUGES
1. Find the difference between the numbers on the gauge –the size of the interval
2. Divide that difference by the number of spaces in the interval
3. That answer will give you the value on the increments (each line) within the interval
Example”
Difference between number of spaces
Number of spaces
20 - 10 = 10
5spaces
2
= 2 therefore the line value
within the space has a
Value of 2
MATTER
Matter –
 The substance that all physical objects are made
 Is anything that has mass and takes up space (volume)
 The amount of matter in an object is its MASS
MASS The amount of matter in an object
 Finding mass is like counting the number of atoms …BUT…impossible to do so
 SO….HOW DO WE FIND MASS?
 We find MASS on a BALANCE (a type of scale)
 We measure MASS in units called GRAMS
 Example:
o If a bowling ball has 1000 grams of mass, its like saying it has the same number of atoms
as 1000 grams of water, or 1000 grams of gold, or 1000 grams of chips!
Isaac Newton



Q.
A.
Noted for his experiments with light (found that white light contains all the colors of the
spectrum)
He wrote Principia Mathematica – our earliest introduction to gravity, optics (light) , calculus
and physics
Said that all atoms have mass, volume and inertia
What is inertia?
An object’s resistance to a change in motion



Q.
A.
Theorized that all matter has GRAVITY
GRAVITY is an invisible force that attracts all matter to all other matter
It takes TWO to GRAVITY –i.e. gravity happens between TWO OR MORE objects
What determines the amount of gravity?
The amount of MASS
Inertia






Inertia says that an object in motion wants to keep moving UNLESS another force acts on it.
Example A bowling ball will stay in one place forever unless some force pushes or pulls on it
Example A moving bowling ball will just keep going until some force stops it
Inertia is determined by MASS – the number of atoms
The more atoms or mass in an object means more inertia
The more atoms an object has also means the more gravity acting on that object
Side-note:
Higgs Boson – a scientist who theorizes that every atom has a particle called the Higgs
Boson where we think that mass comes from…sometimes called the “God Particle” because it points
toward the creation of mass.
Gravity





Every atom has gravity which means that the more atoms an object has the more gravity acting
on it
So what else affects gravity??? (The sun has more mass than the Earth. Why then doesn’t the
earth get pulled towards the sun?)
Newton determined that the amount of gravity acting on objects depends on TWO things:
Number 1 is MASS and number 2 is DISTANCE between the objects
This means the closer 2 objects are together, the greater the gravity AND the farther away 2
objects are from each other, the weaker the gravity
How do we measure gravity? Newton actually came up with a formula to QUANTIFY/measure
gravity…………… Fg = G m1 m2 ….Fg = force of gravity G= universal gravitational
r squared
constant
r squared = the distance between squared
Q.
What would gravity be like on the moon?
- Say you weigh 120 pounds on Earth
- The moon is about 1/6 the mass of Earth……so…
Q.
A.
Q.
A.
Q.
A.
Would your mass change
NO! Mass (the number of atoms) stays the same
Would your weight change?
Yes! You would weigh ½ your weight on earth
Things weigh 6 x less and fall 6x slower on the moon than on Earth
Things do NOT float on the moon – they just fall 6x slower than on Earth
What is the actual difference between mass and weight?
Mass
Weight
Is the amount of matter (atoms) in an object
Is the amount of gravity between two
Objects
Is measured on a balance
Is measured on a scale
Is measure in units called grams
Is measured in units called newtons
FYI
These steps will not be on the test
STEPS IN DESIGNING AN EXPERIMENT
1.
Write the PURPOSE –make sure you understand what is being asked
2.
Background Information – gather as much info as possible-become an expert-check your
Science book – check the web – think about your own experiences and what you already know
3.
Identify the Independent and Dependent Variables
4.
Make a BLANK data table –need to think about what you will measure and how
4.
Make a list of variables that could affect your experiment
6.
Look at your data table, then write your procedures. Include controls in your procedure
7.
Decide what safety precautions you need to take
8.
Make a list of materials you will need
9.
STOP –ask what could possible go wrong…FIX OR FLEE
10.
Do the lab – gather data
11.
Analyze your data – put your data in order, look for increasing or decreasing trends (patterns),
If appropriate, calculate averages and compare - make a graph
12.
Write your CONCLUSION. Be sure to support conclusion with AT LEAST two data examples