0101 What is Matter?

Hi.

00:09I'm Daniel Eldridge.

00:10And welcome to Chemistry, Building Blocks of the World.

00:13We're going to go on quite a journey.

00:14We're going to look at four different modules together.

00:16In the first module, we're going to have a look at matter

00:20and we're going to look at the atoms, the building blocks of

00:22everything that's around us, describe them

00:24in a lot more detail.

00:25We're also going to have a look at our periodic table and

00:27how the atoms fit into it.

00:29In the second module, we're then going to look at how we

00:31can take these atoms and join them together to make

00:33compounds, to make new and exciting materials that we

00:36make use of all the time in our lives.

00:38In the third module, we're then going to have a bit of

00:41education and a bit of fun, as we have a look at some

00:43chemical reactions, the way these different types of

00:46matter interact with one another to make new materials

00:49and undergo quite interesting changes.

00:52Then in our fourth and final module, we're going to put on

00:55a different pair of glasses and we're going to look at the

00:57world in a whole new way, in particular the way that we

01:00quantify matter.

01:01Once we've figured out this new way of quantifying the

01:03world, we're going to tie that in with our previous work and

01:06our chemical reactions.

01:07We're going to make some very powerful predictions about the

01:09things that we see.

01:11So that's the subject in general.

01:13Right throughout this subject, through all four modules, we

01:15are going to need to make use of a periodic table.

01:17Now, I've created one and provided it for you here.

01:20You can fetch a copy from the additional resources, download

01:23it, print it, save it to your desktop.

01:25But make sure you've got it handy.

01:26We going to be using it all the time.

01:29You'll also, from time to time, to make use of a

01:32calculator.

01:33We're not doing anything too scary, nothing too high end.

01:35So you don't need anything sophisticated.

01:37The calculators I've got on screen here

01:39are more than enough.

01:40As long as they have the capability to do scientific

01:42notation, you'll be fine.

01:44Your computer calculator, even your mobile phone calculator,

01:47will probably be up to scratch if you don't

01:49have one of the these.

01:51In our first module, a bit of an overview of what we're

01:53going to get into.

01:54We're going to start by defining matter, all of the

01:57materials around this.

01:58We're then going to have a much closer look at atoms,

02:00these building blocks that make up all of the different

02:03types of matter.

02:04Once we've characterised and discussed how these atoms are

02:07assembled, we're going to look at how they fit into our

02:09periodic table, how they're arranged, and some of the

02:12hidden information that we can find in this periodic table.

02:16So let's make a nice, gentle start in this topic.

02:19Let's start by classifying matter.

02:21Look around you.

02:22All of the different materials that you can see

02:24are made up of matter.

02:26Matter itself is made up of tiny, tiny little building

02:30blocks called atoms.

02:31We're going to spend a lot more time talking about these

02:33building blocks, these atoms, soon.

02:35But for now, I want to talk about matter.

02:37Again, everything around you is made up of matter.

02:40What is matter?

02:41Matter is anything that occupies space and has mass.

02:45Mass, as you'd know from your day-to-day experience, is just

02:48a convenient measure of the quantity, the amount of the

02:50substance that you have.

02:52So everything is matter.

02:54Examples, here we are.

02:55A beautiful day at the waterfalls.

02:57The water running over the falls, the trees, the rocks,

03:00everything you can see there, all made up of matter.

03:03The funny looking guy at the waterfalls, he's made of

03:06matter too.

03:07The tubby looking cat, rolling around on the grass, that

03:10tubby cat, matter.

03:11The grass around him, her, matter.

03:14A storm trooper rocking a guitar, matter.

03:17Every planet in the solar system, everything you can

03:20think of, is made up of matter, these tiny little

03:23building blocks, the atoms, that make it up.

03:26When we're communicating, chemist to chemist, we

03:28generally classify matter as being one of three states.

03:32In the first state, our atoms, our building blocks, are quite

03:35closely packed together and they're rigidly held in place

03:38with respect to one another.

03:39This state of matter is referred to as a solid.

03:43In our second state of matter, our building blocks are still

03:45nice and close together.

03:47But now, they've got a bit more freedom of movement.

03:49They're free to slide and manoeuvre over one another.

03:52This state of matter is a liquid.

03:55In our third and final state of matter, I think you know

03:58where we're headed here, our atoms, our building blocks,

04:00are now separated from one another.

04:02And they're free to move around in any and every

04:04direction within the space they're contained.

04:07This state of matter is called a gas.

04:10You may hear people say, what about the

04:12fourth state of matter?

04:12What about plasma?

04:13Don't get concerned about that.

04:15Plasma is merely a small modification of gas.

04:18As far as you and I are concerned, there are three

04:20states of matter, solid, liquid, and gas.

04:24We'll leave it there for this topic.

04:26Head on down to the discussion forums.

04:28They're up and running now.

04:29Say hi to your peers.

04:30And in the meantime I'll see you in the next topic, when we

04:33discuss more about the nature of matter.