What Is Matter?
To learn more about matter and energy, The Mini Page talked with a scientist from the National Science Foundation. In this issue, we will talk about matter. In a future issue, we will talk about energy.
Matter is the stuff all around us. Planets, butterflies, mountains, viruses, cats, dirt, skyscrapers, frogs, air, bones, flowers, chocolate, rivers, dinosaurs, dogs and people are all made of matter.
Do you ever wonder what the universe is made of? What makes it work? People have been trying to answer these questions for thousands of years. Scientists often use two different words to describe everything around us: matter and
energy.
What is matter?
Everything we can detect with our five senses is matter. If we can hear, touch, taste, see or smell something, it is matter. Matter also includes a bunch of stuff we can’t hear, touch, taste, see or smell. Sometimes we need special instruments to “see” matter. We might need a microscope, a telescope or even more powerful tools.
Taking up space
Experts say we can think of matter as anything that takes up space. We often describe matter by talking about its mass. Mass is how much stuff there is in something. It is not the same as weight.
For example, on Earth, a 1-pound box of cereal might hold 600 puffed corn pieces. If you take it to the moon, it would only weigh about one-sixth of a pound.* But there would still be 600 puffed corn pieces. The mass would stay the same. It would still take up the same amount of space. *The gravity on the moon is about onesixth as much as it is on Earth, so things weigh about one-sixth as much on the moon.