The word “matter”Has more than one meaning. Its most classic and ancient value refers to everything that has mass and occupies a place in space, that is, to the primary reality from which the things that surround us in the physical world are made, and, for the most part, perceptible by humans. senses or by some measuring instrument. For example: nylon, rubber, salt, air.
However, it should be borne in mind that “matter” is also called everything that opposes the concept of “spirit”. Likewise, this word is synonymous with “question”, “reason” or “matter”, that is, the point that something is about.
And in a last sense, this word is equivalent to “course”, That is, to the formal course in an academic context.
Characteristics of physical matter
Physical matter is made up of elementary particles called atoms. In addition, matter has properties, which can be general or specific.
- General properties. They do not allow to differentiate one substance from another.
- Inertia. It is the property that bodies have to maintain their state of rest or movement in the absence of an external force. Bodies tend to resist changing their state of rest or motion when a force is exerted on them.
- Mass. It expresses the amount of matter that a body has. The unit of measurement for mass is usually the kilogram (kg).
- Volume. It is the space that a body occupies. It is usually expressed in liters (L).
- Weight. It is the force exerted by gravity on bodies and is calculated as: P = mg. Being m the mass of a body and g a constant representing the acceleration of gravity at sea level, whose value is approximately 9.80655 m / stwo.
- Specific properties. They allow to differentiate one substance from another.
- Melting point. It is the temperature at which a solid turns into a liquid.
- Boiling point. It is the temperature at which the pressure of a liquid equals the pressure around the liquid, then, the liquid passes into the gaseous phase.
- Other specific properties. They are the smell and the taste.
Chemistry is the scientific discipline that studies the nature, composition and transformation of matter. In non-extreme temperature conditions, matter can present itself in three different physical states: solid, liquid and gas.
In general terms, matter obeys the Lavoisier’s law o Law of the Conservation of Matter, which stipulates that “in an isolated system in which chemical reactions take place, matter is neither created nor destroyed, it only transforms; that is, the mass of the reactants is equal to the mass of the products formed ”. Today it is known that this law is not entirely accurate.
Most of the matter around us is inanimate or inert, because it does not reproduce or grow. But also everything that is alive constitutes matter, composed of atoms and molecules.
Examples of matter
| Water | Rubber | Nylon |
| Air | Wool | Skin |
| Meat | Milk | Salt |
| Lock | Book | Chair |
| Emery | Wood | Rod |
| Natural gas | Cloud | Glass |