Changes in matter

Matter: Structure, Properties, Changes

NC Standards (What Students are Expected to Know):

3.P.2 Understand the structure and properties of matter before and after they undergo a change.

• 3.P.2.1 Recognize that air is a substance that surrounds us, takes up space and has mass.
• 3.P.2.2 Compare solids, liquids, and gases based on their basic properties.
• 3.P.2.3 Summarize changes that occur to the observable properties of materials when different degrees of heat are applied to them, such as melting ice or ice cream, boiling water or an egg, or freezing water.

3.P.3 Recognize how energy can be transferred from one object to another.

• 3.P.3.2 Recognize that energy can be transferred from a warmer object to a cooler one by contact or at a distance and the cooler object gets warmer.

Key Vocabulary

Do you understand the big picture?

• Matter has structure and properties which can be determined by observation.
• Solids have structures and properties.
• Liquids have structures and properties.
• Gases, like air, have structures and properties.
• Matter can change states.
• Heat energy can be transferred and cause changes in states of matter.
• States of matter (solid, liquid, gas) can be changed by contact with one another.
• States of matter (solid, liquid, gas) can be changed by giving off or receiving energy waves at a distance. ​

Can you answer the guiding questions?

• What information about the properties of matter can be gathered by observation before and after a change? (3.P.2)
• How do the properties of solids, liquids, and gases compare? (3.P.2.2)
• Considering air is a mixture of gases, how does it compare to solids and liquids? (3.P.2.1)
• How might heat energy affect matter? (3.P.2.3)
• What are two examples of how can energy be transferred from one object to another? (3.P.3)