#matter #volume #compare #ngscience
Observe and compare the volumes of water in different containers. Head to ngscience.com for loads of related resources for use in the classroom or at home.

Everything around you is made of matter. The air you breathe, the water you drink and even this book is made of matter. Matter is anything that has mass and volume.

Mass is how much matter an object has. Mass is measured using a scale or balance and is commonly measured in kilograms, grams, ounces or pounds.

We can compare the mass of different matter using a balance. The balance below shows that the boot has more mass than the shoe. The plastic ball and the apple are of similar size. Using a balance we can see that the apple has a greater mass.

Volume is how much space the matter takes up. The basketball, beach ball and tennis ball all contain matter – air. The amount of space the air takes up in each ball is different.

Volume can be measured using measuring cups, measuring cylinders or measuring spoons. Volume is commonly measured in milliliters, liters, gallons and ounces.

Properties of Solids
There are three states or forms of matter – solids, liquids and gases. The properties of each state of matter is different.

The objects around you, such as your desk, books and pens are solids. Solids are matter that have a fixed shape and volume. This means the shape and volume of a solid does not change when it is placed in different containers. If you take a book and move it between different containers, its shape and volume does not change.

A rock is an example of a solid. Take a small rock and place it on a hard surface. Use you foot to press down on the rock. Notice that pressing down on the rock does not change its shape or volume. Solid matter cannot be compressed and does not change shape easily.

Properties of Liquids
Water, milk and cooking oil are examples of liquids. Like solids, liquids have a fixed volume. This means the amount of space taken up by a liquid always stays the same.

Try pouring some water into a measuring cup and measure its volume. Pour the water into a measuring cylinder and measure its volume again. You’ll notice that the volume of the water does not change when placed in different containers. Like solids, liquids cannot be compressed.

Unlike solids, liquids do not have a fixed shape. The shape of a liquid depends on the container it is in. When you pour some milk from a carton or bottle into a glass, the shape of the milk changes, but the volume of the milk remains the same.

Properties of Gases
Gases are matter that can change in both shape and volume. You can’t always see gases, but they are all around you. The air you breathe is a gas. The water vapor released from a boiling kettle is also a gas.

When you blow up a balloon, you are filling the balloon with air from your lungs. You can press softly on the expanded balloon and change the shape of the gas inside. When you let go of the balloon, the gas spreads out in all directions and fills the room. Its volume changes.

We can also compress a gas to reduce its volume, like when adding air to a scuba tank. Inside the scuba tank, the compressed air takes up much less space.