science

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NAME:

Congratulations on completing your Introduction to Matter Unit, Sci-Operative! Dr. Nobel needs your help to
complete this case file review. Use your knowledge gained from this unit as well as the Field Guides: Lab
Equipment, Density, States of Matter, and Phase Changes as needed. Good luck! The Sci-Ops team is
counting on you.

INTRODUCTION TO MATTER

EVIDENCE RECORD 1

EVIDENCE

ANALYSIS

Dr. Nobel: We’ve received the following photos from Sci-Ops field agents. We need to
classify the subject of the photographs as either MATTER (M) or NOT MATTER (N). Dr. Nobel
left behind some notes to help you and the other recruits, but it seems they were damaged.
Fill in the missing information to help the Sci-Ops team.

CASE FILE

REVIEW

CASE FILE
REVIEW

Remember! Matter is

any�ing �at has

and takes up .

- Dr. Nobel

are �e building
blocks of matter, and are
unique for each element.

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EVIDENCE RECORD 2

EVIDENCE

SAMPLE 1: HIVE Computer Chip

Mass: 0.0568 g
Volume: 0.0214 cm3

Density (Show your work!) =

ANALYSIS

Zia brought back some samples collected near THE HIVE pollution machines. Dr. Nobel
needs you to determine the density of each of the samples to help identify what materials
they are made of. Remember to pay attention to your units when calculating density!

SAMPLE 2: Purple Slime

Mass: 52 g
Volume: 26 mL
Density (Show your work!) =

SAMPLE 3: Colorless Gas from Pollution Machine

Would THE HIVE metal block sink or float in water? Explain. (Density of water = 1 g/mL)

Mass: 3.672 g
Volume: 2000 mL
Density (Show your work!)=

SAMPLE 4: HIVE Metal Block

Mass: 94.2 g
Length: 2 cm
Width: 3 cm
Height: 2 cm
Calculated Volume:

Density (Show your work!)=

If the purple slime was introduced to a body of water, would it sink or float? Explain.

The colorless gas is released into the atmosphere. Will it stay near the surface or float
into the upper atmosphere? Explain. (Density of air = 0.0012 g/mL)

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• Definite (x3)
• Indefinite (x3)
• Most amount of energy
• Close but can move
past one another
• Vibrate in place
• Least amount of
energy

• Medium amount of energy
• Can flow past one another
• Very spread out
• Tightly packed
• Move freely and quickly
filling space

EVIDENCE RECORD 3

ANALYSIS

Dr. Nobel has been running tests on some samples the Sci-Ops agents collected from THE
HIVE, related to their states of matter. Label the particle diagrams with the state of
matter being shown and complete the chart below summarizing the key properties of
each state of matter.

EVIDENCE

STATES OF MATTER

LESS ENERGY

MORE ENERGY

Solid

Word Bank

Shape
(Definite/Indefinite)

Volume
(Definite/Indefinite)

Space Between
Particles

Movement of
Particles

Energy of
Particles

Liquid

Gas

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• Freezing
• Deposition
• Condensation
• Evaporation
• Sublimation
• Melting
• Increased
• Decreased

Word Bank
(can be used more than once)

EVIDENCE RECORD 4

ANALYSIS

Complete Dr. Nobel’s summary graphic below, listing each phase change that occurred as
he tested THE HIVE samples.

EVIDENCE

SOLID

LIQUID

GAS

Energy

Energy

Energy

1

Dr. Nobel produced this heating curve using
experimental data from THE HIVE sample tests.
Complete the questions below to finish his analysis.

What phase change is occurring at point B and
what states of matter are involved?

A
B

1,711 ˚C

327 ˚C

Temperature (˚C)

Heat Energy (MJ)

0

5

D

C

2 What phase change is occurring at point D and what states of matter are involved?

3 In order for a phase change to occur, what must happen with the energy within the system?

4 Energy is still being added to the metal during a phase change (flat portions of the
heating curve). Explain why the temperature does not increase as energy is added during
a phase change.

• Metals
• Electricity
• Conductors

• Insulators
• Conduction
• Metalloids

• Nonmetals
• Heat
• Conductivity

• Convection
• Radiation
• Semiconductors

EVIDENCE RECORD 5

ANALYSIS

Dr. Nobel has finished several experiments on THE HIVE field samples. Help him complete
his lab report and data table. Use the word bank to help you.

Conductivity, is an important physical property, that measures a substance's ability to transfer

________ and __________. ______________ easily transmit heat and electricity, while

______________ prevent their flow. Most ____________ are good conductors, and

_____________ are insulators. _________________ are _________________, which have

intermediate conductivity. In this experiment, several simple setups using various heat transfer

methods were employed to observe the conductivity of alien objects. The goal of this

experiment was to determine the physical properties of each object to aid in identifying them.

EVIDENCE

BACKGROUND

The alien objects were heated using the set ups pictured below below.
METHODS

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 3

Word Bank

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HOT

Sample
Type of Heat Transfer
Experiment Set-Up
(conduction, convection, radiation)

Metal Block

Computer Chip

Slime

Blasted with laser filled with hydrogen gas
and set to 1.09 MJ (figure 1)

Sample was boiled and currents were observed
in the rapidly bubbling liquid. (see fig 3)

Heated with a hot plate (figure 2)

Briefly summarize, in 3-4 sentences, what you have learned after reviewing these evidence
records from our Sci-Operative field agents. Your summary should include information on matter,
states of matter, phase changes, and heat transfer.

ANALYSIS
1

Dr. Nobel’s created the data table below after conducting his tests on the alien objects.
Help Dr. Nobel write his conclusions by answering the questions below.

Based on Dr. Nobel’s results, which of the alien samples are conductors?

RESULTS

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Sample

Thermal Conductivity

Electrical Conductivity

Metal Block

Computer Chip

Colorless Gas

Purple Slime

High

Medium

Low

High

High

Medium

Low

High

EVIDENCE REVIEW

2Which of the alien samples are insulators?

3Which of the alien samples are semiconductors?