CHEM 1070 Chapter 1: Matter: Its Properties and Measurement

Vocabulary flashcards covering core definitions, classifications of matter, measurement units, physical/chemical properties, and measurement uncertainties from Chapter 1.

Chemistry

The study of matter, which includes humans and everything around us.

Matter

Anything that has mass and occupies space.

Radiations

A form of energy involving the emission of energy in the form of electromagnetic waves or subatomic particles.

Chemical reactions

Changes from one chemical substance to another, involving a change in composition.

Scientific Method

The combination of observation, experimentation, and formulation of laws, hypotheses, and theories.

Law of nature

Indicates a relationship between a phenomenon and experiments, but does not explain it.

Hypothesis

A testable, falsifiable explanation for an observation that is narrow in scope and specific to one situation.

Theory

A well-substantiated explanation supported by evidence that is broad in scope and explains many phenomena.

Quarks and Leptons

The fundamental particles that serve as the basic building blocks and fundamental constituents of matter.

Molecule

The smallest entity of a compound having the same proportions of the constituent atoms as does the compound as a whole.

Substance

A form of matter that has a uniform and definite composition and distinct chemical properties.

Element

A substance made of only one type of atom, such as oxygen, gold, or carbon.

Compound

A substance made of two or more elements chemically bonded in fixed ratios.

Mixture

A structure composed of different types of atoms or molecules that are physically combined rather than chemically bonded, and can be separated into their original components.

Composition

The identity and relative amounts of components or parts in a sample.

Physical changes

Changes in state, shape, or texture of matter (such as melting or evaporating) that occur without a change in chemical composition.

Chemical properties

The ability or inability of a substance to react and form a new substance, undergoing a change in composition.

Heterogeneous mixture

A mixture that is not uniform in composition and can be easily separated into its parts, with each part retaining its original properties.

Homogeneous mixture

A mixture of two or more substances that are evenly distributed throughout and have the same composition throughout a sample.

Distillation

A physical separation process for mixtures based on differences in boiling points.

Mass

The quantity of matter in an object.

Weight

The force of gravity ($g$) acting on an object, calculated as $W = g \times m$.

Density

A physical parameter measuring how tightly a substance's molecules are packed together in space, defined as mass per unit volume ($d = \frac{m}{V}$).

Extensive Quantities

Properties that increase as the size of the system increases, such as length, area, volume, weight, or mass.

Intensive Quantities

Properties that are independent of the system size, such as temperature, density, or specific heat capacity.

Random error

Uncertainties in measurement that include intrinsic instrument fluctuations and reading errors.

Systematic error

An error that recurs regularly in a series of measurements due to inherent flaws in the measuring system, such as calibration errors.

Accuracy

The closeness of a measured value to the true value.

Precision

The reproducibility of a set of measurement results.