Lesson: Matter, Mass, and Volume

Lesson: Matter, Mass, and Volume

Objective:

​

• Define Matter

• State what mass measures.

• State what volume measures.

​Believe it or not, it actually depicts individual atoms of cesium (reddish-orange) on a surface of gallium arsenide molecules (blue). The image was created with an extremely powerful microscope, called a scanning tunneling microscope. This is one of a few types of microscope that can make images of atoms, the basic building blocks of matter.

​Can you guess what this colorful image shows?

​What’s the Matter?

​Matter is all the “stuff” that exists in the universe. Everything you can see and touch is made of matter, including you! The only things that aren’t matter are forms of energy, such as light and sound. In science, matter is defined as anything that has mass and volume. Mass and volume measure different aspects of matter.

​Mass

Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in a substance or an object. The basic SI unit for mass is the kilogram (kg), but smaller masses may be measured in grams (g). In the lab, mass may be measured with a triple beam balance or an electronic balance or scale.

Volume

Volume is a measure of the amount of space that a substance or an object takes up. The basic SI unit for volume is the cubic meter (m³), but smaller volumes may be measured in cm³, and liquids may be measured in liters (L) or milliliters (mL). How the volume of matter is measured depends on its state.

• The volume of a liquid is measured with a measuring container, such as a measuring cup or graduated cylinder.

• The volume of a gas depends on the volume of its container: gases expand to fill whatever space is available to them.

• The volume of a regularly shaped solid can be calculated from its dimensions. For example, the volume of a rectangular solid is the product of its length, width, and height.

• The volume of an irregularly shaped solid can be measured by the displacement method. You can read below how this method works. 

​How to measure volume?

​Water displacement

​Regular Object

​Irregular Object

Multiple Choice

What TOOL is used to measure MASS?

• Spring Scale

• Balance

• Graduated Cylinder

• Meter Stick

Multiple Choice

What UNIT is used when measuring VOLUME in a graduated cylinder

• Meter

• Liter

• Gram

Multiple Choice

Which UNIT is used when measuring MASS?

• Meter

• Liter

• Gram

Multiple Choice

Volume is:

• The amount of "STUFF" in an object

• The amount of "SPACE" in an object

• The amount of WATER in a cup

• The length of something

Multiple Choice

Mass is:

• The amount of "STUFF" in an object

• The amount of "SPACE" in an object

• The measurement of a gravity on an object

• The amount of items in a room