Introduction to Chemistry, Units of Measurement, and Properties of Matter

Vocabulary flashcards covering core introductory chemistry concepts, including measurements, unit conversions, metric prefixes, physical vs. chemical properties and changes, and density.

Chemistry

The study of chemicals and the changes they undergo.

Chemical

A substance that has a definite composition.

Qualitative Measurement

A descriptive measurement that does not involve numbers, such as describing a tall building or a blue car.

Quantitative Measurement

A numerical measurement that includes specific units, such as a $2.0\,\text{L}$ soda bottle or a $1.0\,\text{m}$ stick.

Conversion Factor

A ratio that relates two units of measurement of the same quantity.

Precision

The reproducibility of a measurement, indicating how close repeated measurements are to each other.

Accuracy

How close a measured value is to the true or desired value.

Physical Property

Characteristics of a substance that can be determined or observed without changing the identity of the substance.

Intensive Physical Property

A physical property that does not change when part of the substance is removed, such as color, state, melting point, boiling point, density, temperature, or hardness.

Extensive Physical Property

A physical property that depends on the amount of matter being measured, such as mass, volume, or length.

Chemical Property

A property that describes how matter reacts with other kinds of matter, identified when a chemical change occurs.

Physical Change

A change in which the identity of the substance does not change, though the arrangement, location, or speed of its particles may change.

Chemical Change

A change in which the identity of a substance changes and a new substance forms through the rearrangement of atoms.

Precipitate

A solid that forms during a chemical reaction in solution, serving as evidence of a chemical change.

Density

A physical property of matter defined as the quantity of mass that occupies one unit of volume, calculated as $\text{Density} = \frac{\text{mass}}{\text{volume}}$.

Displacement

The technique used to determine the volume of an unknown object by measuring the volume of liquid it displaces.

Celsius to Kelvin Conversion Formula

The temperature conversion formula $K = C + 273$.

Kelvin to Celsius Conversion Formula

The temperature conversion formula $C = K - 273$.

Celsius to Fahrenheit Conversion Formula

The temperature conversion formula $F = (C \times 1.8) + 32$.

Fahrenheit to Celsius Conversion Formula

The temperature conversion formula $C = \frac{F - 32}{1.8}$.

Scientific Notation

A method of writing large or small numbers by moving the decimal point so there is only one non-zero digit to the left, expressed as a number multiplied by a power of $10$.

Kilo-

A metric prefix abbreviated as $\text{k}$ with an exponential multiplier of $10^3$, representing $1000$ base units.

Hecto-

A metric prefix abbreviated as $\text{h}$ with an exponential multiplier of $10^2$, representing $100$ base units.

Deka-

A metric prefix abbreviated as $\text{da}$ with an exponential multiplier of $10^1$, representing $10$ base units.

Deci-

A metric prefix abbreviated as $\text{d}$ with an exponential multiplier of $10^{-1}$, representing $\frac{1}{10}$ or $0.1$ base units.

Centi-

A metric prefix abbreviated as $\text{c}$ with an exponential multiplier of $10^{-2}$, representing $\frac{1}{100}$ or $0.01$ base units.

Milli-

A metric prefix abbreviated as $\text{m}$ with an exponential multiplier of $10^{-3}$, representing $\frac{1}{1000}$ or $0.001$ base units.