Matter in Our Surroundings

Flashcards based on the lecture notes about matter and its properties.

What is matter?

Anything in the universe that occupies space and has mass.

What are the five basic elements ('Panch Tatva') according to early Indian philosophers?

Air, earth, fire, sky, and water.

What are the two types of classification of matter used by modern-day scientists?

Based on physical properties and chemical nature.

What is the particulate nature of matter?

Matter is made up of particles, not continuous.

What does the mixing of sugar/salt in water demonstrate about the particles of matter?

Particles of matter have space between them.

How small are the particles of matter?

Particles of matter are extremely small, beyond our imagination.

What is the state of motion of particles of matter?

Particles of matter are constantly moving.

What is diffusion?

Particles of matter intermix on their own, a process called diffusion.

What force acts between particles of matter?

Particles of matter attract each other.

What are the three states of matter?

Solid, liquid, and gas.

What are the characteristics of the solid state?

Definite shape, distinct boundaries, and fixed volume; negligible compressibility; rigid.

What are the characteristics of the liquid state?

No fixed shape but have a fixed volume; flow and change shape; not rigid but fluid.

What are the characteristics of the gaseous state?

Highly compressible; diffuse very fast into other gases; particles move randomly at high speed.

How can gases be liquefied?

By applying pressure and reducing temperature.

What is sublimation?

Solid to gas without changing into liquid state.

What is deposition?

Gas to solid without changing into liquid state.

What two factors determine the state of a substance?

Increasing pressure and reducing temperature.

What factors affect evaporation?

Increase in surface area, increase in temperature, decrease in humidity, increase in wind speed.

How does evaporation cause cooling?

The liquid absorbs energy from the surrounding to regain the energy lost during evaporation.

What is evaporation?

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

What is humidity?

The amount of water vapour present in air.

What is latent heat of vaporisation?

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

What is latent heat of fusion?

The amount of heat energy required to change 1 kg of solid into liquid at its melting point.

What is melting point?

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

What is boiling point?

The constant temperature at which a liquid changes into its gaseous state.

What is Sublimation?

A change of state directly from solid to gas without passing through the liquid state.

What is deposition?

A change of state directly from gas to solid without passing through the liquid state.

What is vaporization?

The process where a liquid turns into vapor when heated.

What is condensation?

The process where a gas turns into a liquid by cooling.

What is ice?

Water existing in the solid state.

Water existing in

What is steam?

Water existing in the gaseous phase or vapor state.

What is melting?

The process where a solid turns into a liquid when heated.

What is freezing?

The reverse process of melting, where a liquid turns into a solid when cooled.

What is temperature?

The measure of hotness or coldness of a substance.

What causes change of state?

Occurs when particles have enough kinetic energy to overcome attractive forces.

What is a solution?

A homogeneous mixture of two or more substances.

What is a solute?

The substance that is dissolved in a solvent.

What is a solvent?

The substance in which a solute is dissolved.

What is suspension?

A suspension is a heterogeneous mixture in which the solute particles do not dissolve but remain suspended throughout the bulk of the solvent.

What is a colloid?

A colloid is a heterogeneous mixture whose particles are intermediate in size between those of a solution and a suspension.