Physical Properties of Matter
TEK 5.5 A – Students will classify matter based on physical
properties…
Matter
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Matter is any living or
non-living thing in the
universe
All objects, things, plants,
people, animals, etc are
made up of matter
Anything that has mass
and occupies space is
matter – even the air you
breathe is matter

What matter can you
observe in the picture
above?
Properties
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Properties are
characteristics used to
describe something.
Properties can be used to
help identify a substance.
For example, hair color,
eye color, height, weight,
finger print patterns, etc
are all properties that can
be used to describe or
identify YOU!
What is one property that could help identify
you?
Properties of Matter
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Physical properties of
matter are used to
observe and describe
matter.
They can be observed
or measured without
changing the
composition or the
make-up of matter.

How does the rose smell,
feel? What color is the
rose?
Physical Properties Include:
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Appearance
Mass
Magnetism
Relative Density
Solubility
Color
Odor
State of Matter
Ability to conduct or
insulate
Observations
Some physical
properties are easily
observed.
 Others require a tool
for measurement
such as mass or
temperature.

Mass
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Mass is the amount of
matter in an object.
Mass is similar to weight,
but they are not the
same thing.
To measure the mass of
an object, you can use a
balance scale.
Mass can be measured in
grams or kilograms.
Magnetism
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Magnetism is a physical
property that can be
tested by using a magnet
If an object is attracted
(can be picked up) by a
magnet, then it has
magnetism
Only a few metals are
magnetic – iron, nickel, and
cobalt, and mixtures of
those metals have
magnetism
Ice - solid
State of Matter
State of Matter is also a
physical property that can
be used to describe
matter.
 There are 3 states of
matter that you need to
be familiar with:
1. Solid
2. Liquid
3. Gas

Water - liquid
Evaporated water - gas
Relative Density
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Relative density is a
physical property which
can be used to describe
whether an object will
sink or float in water.
If the object is more
dense than water, it will
sink.
If the object is less dense
than water, it will float.
Solubility
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Solubility refers to the
ability of a substance to be
dissolved in another.
We will look at solubility
in water – How much of a
substance can be dissolved
in water?
Solubility depends on the
amount of the substance
and the temperature of
the water.
Kool-Aid powder is soluble
in water because it fully
dissolves in water.
Solubility
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Warm water will allow
some substances to
dissolve more readily.
Salt will dissolve in room
temperature water, but
dissolves faster in warmer
water.
Once dissolved, the salt is
invisible, but if you taste
the water, you will know it
is still there!
Conduct or Insulate?
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Some objects allow
thermal energy or
electrical energy to flow
through them easily.
Others do not.
The ability to conduct
heat (thermal energy) or
electricity is a physical
property which can be
tested.
Conductors
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Conductors allow
electricity or heat to flow
through them easily.
Metal materials such as
copper, iron, or steel are
all good conductors.
A metal spoon left in a
heating pan will become
very hot! This is because
metals are great
conductors.
Insulators
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Insulators are materials
that do not readily allow
electricity or heat to flow
through them.
Because heat does not
easily travel through these
materials, they can be used
to keep hot things hot, or
cold things cold.
Rubber, wood, plastic and
glass are all insulators.
Review

Describe some physical
properties of one of the
objects shown.
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Which physical properties
would you need a tool to
observe?
Quick Assessment
1.
A recycling company
collects cans. Some of the
cans are made of
aluminum and others are
made of iron. Which
physical property could be
used to separate the cans?
A. Odor
B. Ability to conduct or
insulate
C. Solubility
D. Magnetism
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2. Which of the following is
not a physical property?
A. Conductor
B. Yellow
C. Water
D. Magnetic