Question: What is matter? Answer: Matter is all around us. Everything that exists is made of matter. Most matter is made up of tiny particles called atoms. Top   Question: What are the three states of matter? Answer: On Earth, matter exists in three states: solid, liquid, and gas. Top   Question: What is a gas? Answer: A gas has no fixed volume or shape. Gas particles are widely spaced and the particles move freely. Gas will expand to fill its container. Top   Question: What is a liquid? Answer: A liquid has a definite volume, but no fixed shape. Liquid particles are more strongly bound compared to gas particles, but more loosely bound compared to solid particles. A liquid flows and takes the shape of its container. Top   Question: What is a solid? Answer: A solid has a fixed shape and volume. Particles in a solid are tightly bound and packed into regular shapes. Top   Question: What is material? Answer: Material is a substance that has very specific properties and is used in the manufacture of objects. The properties of a material are characteristics of the material. For example, wool has the following properties: it is warm it is soft it can be easily coloured it can be spun into long strands. Clay has the following properties: it is soft when wet it is easily shaped it is hard when dried it can be made waterproof. A raw material comes directly from nature without processing or refining. Examples of raw materials include: wool fleece clay wood some metals. Many raw materials undergo processing before they are used in the manufacture of objects. Examples of materials that are refined or processed: lumber (processed wood) steel (processed iron) paper (processed wood) yarn (processed wool fleece) bricks (processed clay). Top   Question: What is an object? Answer: An object is any item that has been designed and manufactured to serve a specific purpose. An object is made from one or more materials. The material(s) from which the object is made, is selected because of its properties that are suited to the needs of the finished object. Examples of objects: a pencil (made from materials: wood and graphite) a chair (made from materials: wood, plastic, metal and/or fabric) a coffee mug (made from materials: clay and glaze).                   Material                              Object            Wool fleece                     Wool sweater Top Return to Science questions and answers for kids page. Link from here for more information about Professor Beaker's Learning Lab "Characteristics of Objects and Properties of Materials".

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