Matter
Activity 3
Activity 3: Physical Properties of Matter
Part 1: Intensive Properties
Open the bag containing the two strands of uncooked spaghetti noodles. One of the
strands is short and one is long. Observe and record the following physical properties of
the two noodles.
Property
Color
Long Noodle Short Noodle
Hard or Soft
Smooth or Rough
Malleable or Brittle
Smell
Were there any differences between the observed physical properties of the long noodle
and the short noodle?
Properties that stay the same no matter what size a substance is are called intensive
physical properties.
Part 2: Extensive Properties
Open the bag containing multiple pieces of spaghetti noodles. Arrange the noodles from
smallest to largest.
Look at your ruler. If you use this ruler to measure an object’s length in millimeters
(mm), how many decimal places should your measurement have? ______
Measure the length of each noodle in millimeters (mm) and record your measurements
in the table below.
Look at the scale. If you use this scale to measure an object’s mass in grams (g), how
many decimal places should your measurement have? ______
Measure the mass of each noodle in grams (g) and record your measurements in the
table below.
Noodle Length (mm) Mass (g)
1
2
3
4
5
Were there any differences in the masses of the different sized of noodles?
Properties that change when the size of the substance changes are called extensive
physical properties..
Part 3: Graphing Properties of Matter Data
What did you change during the experiment in Part 2 - What was different between
each measurement?
The variable that you change during an experiment is called the independent variable.
The independent variable is always plotted on the x-axis of a graph.
What did you measure in response to what you changed in Part 2?
The variable that you measure in response to what you change is called the dependent
variable. The dependent variable is always plotted on the y–axis of a graph.
Read the handout in your packet titled “How to Create a Line Graph.” Follow the
instructions and create a line graph of your data showing the relationship between
length and mass. (The handout is located at the end of this activity.) Draw a “Best Fit”
line through your data.
Part 4: Melting and Boiling Point
Look at the following table of melting points and boiling points.
Substance (amount)
Melting Point (°C) Boiling Point (°C)
Water (50 ml)
0
100
Water (100 ml)
0
100
Silver (5 g)
961
2193
Silver (30 g)
961
2193
Ammonia (20 ml)
-77.7
-77.7
Ammonia (150 ml)
-77.7
-77.7
Isopropyl Alcohol (10 ml)
-89.5
-89.5
Isopropyl Alcohol (900 ml)
-89.5
-89.5
Do the boiling and melting points change when the amount of a particular substance is
changed?
Are boiling point and melting point intensive or extensive properties?
Part 5: Density
Look at the following table of density values.
Substance (Amount) Density (g/ml)
Lead (5 g)
11.3
Lead (20 g)
11.3
Methanol (20 ml)
0.79
Methanol (150 ml)
0.79
Water (0.5 ml)
1.00
Water (25 ml)
1.00
Gold (2 g)
19.3
Gold (5 g)
19.3
Do the density values change when the amount of a particular substance is changed?
Is density an intensive or extensive property?