Name: _________________________________________________
Matter and Elements Vocabulary Words
#
Word
Meaning
1
hypothesis
A testable explanation for a
problem or phenomena
2
direct evidence
Observing matter through
sight as well as your other
senses: smell, hearing, taste
and touch
3
indirect
evidence
A set of clues that scientists use
to make logical guesses about
things they cannot see or test
directly
4
matter
Material that has mass and
takes up space
5
states of matter
Forms or conditions of matter,
such as the three main states of
matter - solid, liquid, gas.
Others include plasma and
Bose-Einstein condensate
6
solid
Matter with a definite volume
and shape
Image/Symbol
Name: _________________________________________________
7
liquid
Matter with a defined volume
but no defined shape
8
gas
Matter with no definite size or
shape
9
plasma
Super-hot gases that have
taken on high-energy electrical
charges; Northern Lights,
stars, comet tails, fluorescent
lights; 99 percent of matter in
universe is plasma
10 Bose-Einstein
condensate
They are super unexcited and
super cold atoms. A state of
matter that takes place at
super-low temperatures. There
are no separate atoms. They
all take on the same qualities
and, basically, become one
blob.
11 property
(properties)
An observable characteristic of
matter, such as size, texture,
color
12 properties of
matter
(physical)
Characteristics that are used to
identify states of matter, such
as the four main properties:
mass, weight, volume,
density
Name: _________________________________________________
13 weight
The measurement of the force
of gravity on an object
14 mass
Amount of matter contained in
a substance
15 density
An object’s mass divided by its
volume; a measure of how
many particles are packed
together in a certain amount of
space
16 volume
The amount of space a
substance takes up
17 physical change A change in which the shape
or state of a substance becomes
different but the nature of the
substance stays the same
(tearing paper)
18 chemical
change
A change in which the nature
of a substance is made different
from what it was (burning
wood)
19 freezing
A physical change in which a
substance changes from liquid
to solid
Name: _________________________________________________
20 melting
A physical change in which a
substance changes from solid
to liquid
21 evaporation
A physical change in which a
substance changes from liquid
to gas
22 condensation
A physical change in which a
substance changes from gas to
liquid
23 deposition
A physical change in which a
substance changes from gas to
a solid
24 sublimation
A physical change in which a
substance changes from solid
to gas
25 mixture
A substance containing two or
more materials with different
properties
26 solution
A special type of mixture
formed when one or more
materials dissolves in another
Name: _________________________________________________
27 dissolving
The process of a material
becoming incorporated
uniformly into another, or of
two materials mixing together
evenly
28 suspension
Mixtures of small particles
spread evenly throughout a
liquid or gas and not dissolved
29 indicator
Litmus paper; substance
which by changing color
indicates the chemical
condition of a material
30 pH scale
The scale that identifies the
chemical condition of a
material 0-14 acidic to basic
31 acid
0-6 on the pH scale
32 base
8-14 on pH scale
33 neutral
7 on pH scale
Name: _________________________________________________
34 elements
Substance that cannot be
broken down by simple
chemical and physical
processes; consists of only one
kind of atom
35 periodic table
An arrangement of the
elements that provides
information about their
properties
36 atom
The smallest particle of an
element. Atoms are the
building blocks of matter.
37 proton
Positively charge particles in
the nucleus of an atom
38 neutron
Neutral particles in the nucleus
of an atom
39 electron
Negatively charged particles
that travel around the energy
shells of the nucleus of an atom
40 nucleus
Center of an atom; contains
neutrons and protons
Name: _________________________________________________
41 shells
The path or orbit electrons
follow around the nucleus of
an atom
42 atomic number
The number of protons in an
atom
43 atomic mass/
weight
The protons + neutrons in an
atom