ChemistryEverything Is Made of Tiny Bits
Atlas the friendly guide kneels by a sunny window, smiling and holding a clear glass of water while tiny sparkly dots float in the warm light beam, with a wooden block, a smooth stone, and a soft red ball resting nearby on the table.
- Name three things that are made of matter, like a rock, water, and air.
- Say that all matter is made of bits too small to see.
- Show that both something you can touch and air you cannot see are made of matter.
- Tell that you cannot see the tiny bits with just your eyes.
Key terms
- matter
- anything that takes up space and that you can touch, hold, or feel
- tiny bits
- the very small pieces that make up all matter, too small to see
- solid
- matter that is firm and keeps its own shape, like a rock or block
- gas
- matter with no shape that spreads out to fill its space, like air
Stuff You Can Touch
A wooden block, a smooth stone, and a cup of water are all matter. You can pick them up, feel them, or pour them. They look very different from each other, but they are all the same kind of thing: stuff that takes up room and can be touched. That shared idea is what the word matter means.
Bits Too Small to See
Every piece of matter is built from even tinier bits hiding inside it. These bits are far smaller than a speck of dust, so your eyes alone can never spot them. Scientists need special tools, like powerful microscopes, just to peek at them. Even though you cannot see them, the bits are always there, working together to make the whole object.
Even Air Is Matter
Air seems like nothing because you cannot see it or hold it in your fingers. But blow into a balloon and it grows firm and round, which shows air takes up space. You can also feel air push on your skin when the wind blows. Air is made of the same tiny bits as everything else, so air counts as matter too.
Worked examples
Decide whether a glass of milk is matter and explain how you know.
- Ask: can I touch it, hold it, or pour it? Yes, I can pour milk into a cup.
- Ask: does it take up space inside the glass? Yes, it fills the glass.
- Because milk takes up space and can be poured, it must be matter.
Answer: Yes, milk is matter because it takes up space and you can pour and touch it.
Is the air inside a beach ball matter?
- Notice the ball stays firm and round when it is full of air.
- That firmness shows the air is taking up space inside the ball.
- Anything that takes up space is matter, so the air must be matter.
Answer: Yes, the air in the beach ball is matter because it takes up space and keeps the ball firm.
Activity
Look at each thing below and say out loud: 'This is matter — it is made of tiny bits!' Then tell a friend or grown-up one reason you know it is matter.
Practice
Look around your room and name three things that are matter.
Tell a grown-up why air counts as matter even though you cannot see it.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Air is nothing, so it is not matter.Air is matter because it takes up space and can fill a balloon, even though you cannot see it.
- The tiny bits in matter are big enough to see if you look hard.The bits are far too small for any eyes to see, so we need special tools like microscopes to view them.
Check your understanding
What are all things made of?
How big are the tiny bits that make up matter?
Is the air in a balloon made of tiny bits?
Recap
Matter is anything that takes up space and that you can touch, hold, or feel, like a block, water, or air. Every bit of matter is made of tiny bits far too small to see with your eyes alone.
Reflect
What is one thing near you that you did not realize was matter?