Classification and states of matter Vocabulary.docx

Kinetic energy

Energy due to motion.

Temperature

The measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a material.

Potential energy

Stored energy due to the interactions between objects or particles.

Thermal energy

The result of the motion of all the particles, and the distance and attractions between those particles in the system.

Atom

A small particle that is the building block of matter.

Substance

Matter with a composition that is always the same.

Element

A substance that consists of only one type of atom.

Compound

A substance containing atoms of two or more different elements chemically bonded together.

Chemical formula

A group of chemical symbols and numbers that represent the elements and the number of atoms of each element that make up a compound.

Thermal contraction

A decrease in a material’s volume when the temperature is decreased.

Thermal expansion

An increase in a material’s volume when the temperature is increased.

Heat

The transfer of thermal energy from a region of higher temperature to a region of lower temperature. Heat can also refer to the amount of energy transferred during this process.

Pressure

The amount of force per unit area applied to an object’s surface.

Vaporization

The change in state from a liquid to a gas.

Molecule

Two or more atoms that are held together by covalent bonds and act as a unit.