Matter in Our Surroundings

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms and definitions related to matter and its properties, states of matter, and phase transitions.

Matter

Anything in the universe that occupies space and has mass.

Panch Tatva

Early Indian philosophers classified matter in the form of five basic elements — air, earth, fire, sky and water.

SI unit of mass

kilogram (kg).

SI unit of volume

cubic metre (m3).

Diffusion

The intermixing of particles of two different types of matter on their own.

Kinetic energy

Energy that particles of matter posses, and as temperature rises, particles move faster and the kinetic energy of the particles also increases.

Solid

One of the three states of matter, having definite shape, distinct boundaries and fixed volumes, and negligible compressibility. They are rigid and have a tendency to maintain their shape.

Liquid

One of the three states of matter, having no fixed shape but have a fixed volume. They take up the shape of the container in which they are kept. They are not rigid but can be called fluid.

Gaseous state

One of the three states of matter, that are highly compressible as compared to solids and liquids, and diffuses very fast into other gases.

Melting point

The minimum temperature at which a solid melts to become a liquid at the atmospheric pressure.

Fusion

The process of melting, that is, change of solid state into liquid state.

Latent heat

The heat gets used up in changing the state by overcoming the forces of attraction between the particles and this heat energy is absorbed without showing any rise in temperature.

Latent heat of fusion

The amount of heat energy that is required to change 1 kg of a solid into liquid at atmospheric pressure at its melting point.

Boiling point

The temperature at which a liquid starts boiling at the atmospheric pressure.

Latent heat of vaporisation

The heat energy required to change 1 kg of a liquid to gas at atmospheric pressure at its boiling point.

Sublimation

A change of state directly from solid to gas without changing into liquid state.

Deposition

The direct change of gas to solid without changing into liquid.

Evaporation

The phenomenon of change of liquid into vapours at any temperature below its boiling point.

Humidity

The amount of water vapour present in air.