Prakhar Gupta has 4+ years of experience in Content Marketing Field. 

Content Marketing Specialist

Have you ever wondered about what is it that makes an ice solid whereas water a liquid though both can be reversibly interchanged with one another? There are certain properties that an ice possesses which are different from its liquid counterpart and so is the difference between water and steam. Substances (solid, liquids and gases) have certain unique characteristic properties of their own that makes them so different from each other. So, in our present blog we will be discussing about general properties of matter. 

<h2>What is matter?</h2>

Matter is described as something that has mass and occupies space. All physical structures are made up of matter, and the state or process of matter is an easily observed property of matter. Solid, Liquid, and Gas are the three basic states of matter. Properties of matter are either physical or chemical properties based on whether the properties are determined without changing the identity of a substance or not.

<h2>Physical properties of matter</h2>

<ul>
	<li>Matter is made up of tiny particles called atoms and can be represented or explained as something that takes up space. It must display both the mass and volume properties.</li>
	<li>Properties are the characteristics that enable us to differentiate one material from another. A physical property is an attribute of matter that is independent of its chemical composition.</li>
	<li>Density, color, hardness, melting and boiling points, and electrical conductivity are all examples of physical properties.</li>
</ul>

Intensive and Extensive Properties of Matter:

Both physical and chemical properties of matter are either extensive or intensive. Extensive properties including mass and volume are proportional to the amount of matter being weighed. Density and color, for example, are not affected by the amount of matter present.

Intensive properties of matter: An intensive property is a bulk property, which means it is a system’s local physical property that is independent of the system’s size or volume of material. Intensive properties are those that are independent of the amount of matter present. Pressure and temperature, for example, are intensive properties.

Extensive properties of matter: A property that is dependent on the amount of matter in a sample is known as an extensive property. Extensive properties include mass and volume. The scale of the system or the volume of matter in it determines an extensive property of the system. Extensive properties are those in which the value of a system’s property is equal to the sum of the values for the parts of the system.

Chemical Properties of Matter:

Chemical properties are characteristics that can only be measured or observed as matter transforms into a particular type of matter. Reactivity, flammability, and the ability to rust are among them. The tendency of matter to react chemically with other substances is known as reactivity. Flammability, toxicity, acidity, reactivity of various types, and heat of combustion are examples of chemical properties.

Reactivity: The tendency of matter to combine chemically with other substances is known as reactivity. Certain materials are highly reactive, whereas others are extremely inactive. Potassium, for example, is extremely reactive, even in the presence of water. A pea-sized piece of potassium reacts explosively when combined with a small volume of water.

Flammability: The tendency of matter to burn is referred to as flammability. As matter burns, it reacts with oxygen and transforms into various substances.

Toxicity: Toxicity refers to the extent to which a chemical element or a combination of chemicals may harm an organism.

Acidity: A substance’s ability to react with an acid is a chemical property. Some metals form compounds when they react with different acids. Acids react with bases to create water, which neutralizes the acid. Chemical properties are extremely helpful when it comes to distinguishing compounds.

Chemical properties, on the other hand, can only be detected when a material is in the process of being changed into another substance. 

<h2>States of matter</h2>

A state of matter is one of many possible distinct forms that matter can exist in. There are four states of matter: solid, liquid, gas and plasma. Each state has distinct properties that distinguish it from the other states, and there are phase transition processes by which matter changes from one state to another.

Properties of Solids:

When you think of a solid, you probably think of something hard or firm in some way. But solids can be flexible, deformable and malleable as well. Solids are distinguished by their tightly bound molecules. Matter in its solid state tends to be denser than when it is in its liquid state (though there are exceptions, most notably water). Solids hold their shape and have a fixed volume. One type of solid is a crystalline solid. In a crystalline solid, the molecules are arranged in a repeating pattern throughout the material. Crystals are easily identifiable by their macroscopic geometry and symmetries.

Properties of Liquids:

Liquids are made of molecules that can flow easily past each other. The water you drink, the oil you cook with and the gasoline in your car are all liquids. Unlike solids, liquids take the shape of the container. Though liquids can expand and contract at different temperatures and pressures, these changes are often small, and for most practical purposes, liquids can be assumed to have a fixed volume as well. The molecules in a liquid can flow past each other. A liquid’s propensity to be slightly “sticky” when attached to a surface is called adhesion, and the ability of liquid molecules to want to stick together (such as when a water droplet forms a ball on a leaf) is called cohesion.

In a liquid, pressure depends on depth, and because of this, submerged or partially submerged objects will feel a buoyant force due to the difference in pressure on the top and bottom of the object. Archimedes’ principle describes this effect and explains how objects float or sink in liquids. It can be summarized by the statement that “the buoyant force is equal to the weight of displaced liquid.” As such, the buoyant force depends on the density of the liquid and the size of the object. Objects that are denser than the liquid will sink, and those that are less dense will float.

Properties of Gases:

Gases contain molecules that can move easily around each other. They take the full shape and volume of their container and very easily expand and contract. Important properties of a gas include pressure, temperature and volume. In fact, these three quantities are sufficient to completely describe the macroscopic state of an ideal gas. An ideal gas is a gas in which the molecules can be approximated as point particles and in which it is assumed that they don’t interact with each other. The ideal gas law describes the behavior of many gases and is given by the formula:

PV = nRT

Where P is pressure, V is volume, n is the number of moles of a substance, R is the ideal gas constant. (R = 8.3145 J/molK) and T is temperature. An alternative formulation of this law is PV = NkT Where N is the number of molecules and k is Boltzmann’s constant ( k = 1.38065 × 10-23 J/K). (A skeptical reader can verify that nR = Nk)

Gases also exert buoyant forces on objects immersed in them. While most everyday objects are denser than the air around us, making this buoyant force not very noticeable, a helium balloon is a perfect example of this.

<h2>Mechanical properties of solid</h2>

Deforming Force: A force which produces a change in configuration of the object on applying it, is called a deforming force.

Elasticity: Elasticity is that property of the object by virtue of which it regains its original configuration after the removal of the deforming force.

Elastic Limit: Elastic limit is the upper limit of deforming force upto which, if deforming force is removed, the body regains its original form completely and beyond which if deforming force is increased the body loses its property of elasticity and gets permanently deformed.

Perfectly Elastic Bodies: Those bodies which regain their original configuration immediately and completely after the removal of deforming force are called perfectly elastic bodies. e.g., quartz and phosphor bronze etc.

Perfectly Plastic Bodies: Those bodies which do not regain its original configuration at all on the removal of deforming force are called perfectly plastic bodies, e.g., putty, wax etc.

Hope you liked the blog. Stay tuned for more.

Since 1995, Neetu Mam is Providing Free Content for English to the Students

Best Publisher for English Content

Learn the&nbsp;key concepts&nbsp;of matter

Learn the key concepts of Science topic -  Matter

Latest Notifications

Exam Eligibility

Exam Dates

Exam Pattern

Syllabus

Admit Card

Exam Cutoff

Answer Key

Exam Results

Daily Current Affairs

Current Affairs Quiz

Daily Editorial

Daily Vocabulary

Study Plan

Important Days

Question Paper

Previous Year PDF

English Language

Logical Reasoning

Quantitative Aptitude

General Knowledge

General Awareness

General Science

Today in History

Know Your State

Full Form

Know Your Country

Government Schemes

Know Your City

Know Your Leader

Books and Authors

question answer

Quiz

Courses

Classes

Learn the key concepts of Science topic - Human Digestive system

No title

General Science Most Asked Questions in SSC CGL Till Date

Click to study the Complete Theory of Matter and practice a lot of questions difficulty wise on this Physics topic that can be asked in your competitive exam.

Learn the key concepts of Science topic - Matter

Matter FAQs

What is called matter?

Give example of Intensive properties of matter?

What are the states of matter?

Define Cohesion.

What ideal gas law states?

Matter Comments:

Matter RELATED ARTICLES