In this lesson you learned about how matter is categorized from tiny subatomic particles, atoms and molecules, all the way to heterogeneous and homogeneous mixtures.
You took notes on almost every page of the lesson, and now it's time to use them, as well as any other evidence presented, to compose your own multimedia project, or write a final essay, in which you describe and summarize all of that knowledge about how matter is classified that you've collected.
As you compose your project, try to think of ways to connect, either graphically or in writing, the parts of the atom and the different ways atoms and matter can be arranged. One idea is to create a comic strip or story that starts with a mixture and dives down into the elements and compounds, molecules and atoms, and finally inside an atom to the electrons, protons and neutrons.
Use Organize It to outline your ideas. You can review your notes in “My Work” as well as any of the following videos and glossary terms.
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
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| Space | Pause/Play video playback |
| Enter | Pause/Play video playback |
| m | Mute/Unmute video volume |
| Up and Down arrows | Increase and decrease volume by 10% |
| Right and Left arrows | Seek forward or backward by 5 seconds |
| 0-9 | Fast seek to x% of the video. |
| f | Enter or exit fullscreen. (Note: To exit fullscreen in flash press the Esc key. |
| c | Press c to toggle captions on or off |
All matter is made up of atoms. There are 118 different types of atoms that have been discovered. But what makes one type different from another? It all comes down to the amount of stuff inside the atom. And this “stuff” is made up of three main parts:
The teeny tiny electron can be found orbiting the center of the atom. Depending on how many electrons an atom has, you can find them in different “shells” or orbitals at different distances away from the center. Electrons carry a negative charge.
Protons are found in the center, or nucleus of the atom and they carry a positive charge.
And then there is the neutron. Like its name suggests, this subatomic particle carries no charge, and is found in the nucleus along with the protons. (except in Hydrogen!)
A charge (+/-) is a property of matter to either attract or repel other matter. Kind of like a magnet. The positive/negative charges of these particles are the reason atoms act, interact and react the way they do.
And although atoms are so small that we have never actually been able to see inside one, scientists have been able to pin down the inner workings of all life, matter, and everything in between to these three superstar subatomic particles.
And although atoms are so small that we have never actually been able to see inside one, scientists have been able to uncover the inner workings of all life, matter, and everything in between. And it all stars these three subatomic particles.
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Space | Pause/Play video playback |
| Enter | Pause/Play video playback |
| m | Mute/Unmute video volume |
| Up and Down arrows | Increase and decrease volume by 10% |
| Right and Left arrows | Seek forward or backward by 5 seconds |
| 0-9 | Fast seek to x% of the video. |
| f | Enter or exit fullscreen. (Note: To exit fullscreen in flash press the Esc key. |
| c | Press c to toggle captions on or off |
Matter is made up of atoms, but not all atoms are the same. There are atoms with more stuff inside (ex. Cs), and atoms with less stuff inside (H). All in all, there are 118 different types of atoms, determined by the arrangement and amount of the stuff inside.
And all matter is made up of combinations of these atoms--but there is a special kind of matter called elements that are substances made entirely of one type of atom-- so as you might imagine: 118 types of atoms mean there are 118 different elements. Gold, for example, is an element. If you break apart a piece of gold down to its smallest particles, you end of up with gold atoms- and only gold atoms.
And here is where it gets a tad tricky-- the term element refers to a substance made up of one type of atom (ie. Gold), and it refers to a single atom of that element. So no matter how many gold atoms are contained in that chunk of gold-- 1 billion or just one, it is considered an element (gold) because it can’t be broken down to anything simpler.
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Space | Pause/Play video playback |
| Enter | Pause/Play video playback |
| m | Mute/Unmute video volume |
| Up and Down arrows | Increase and decrease volume by 10% |
| Right and Left arrows | Seek forward or backward by 5 seconds |
| 0-9 | Fast seek to x% of the video. |
| f | Enter or exit fullscreen. (Note: To exit fullscreen in flash press the Esc key. |
| c | Press c to toggle captions on or off |
All matter is formed from atoms and the types of atoms are limited (118). But the ways in which the different atoms combine to form matter can get pretty complicated. Luckily, scientists have categorized matter to help us make sense of it all.
First, there are the pure substances- which are matter made up of single types of either atoms (ie. elements) or single types of molecules (which are atoms that are bonded together (H2O or salt)). They are considered “pure” substances because they are comprised of a single type of ingredient- In the case of the element, a single type of atom. In the case of a compound, a single type of molecule.
Then, there are mixtures- which is matter made up of pure substances that are mixed, but not bonded, together. Combine two compounds (ie. water + salt) and you get a mixture. Combine an element and a compound, and you get a mixture. Element + element? Yep, mixture. You can have mixture with lots of ingredients, and mixtures with only a few. The key is that mixtures are what you get when two or more pure substances are mixed, but not bonded, together.
And these categories--pure substances and mixtures--help scientists make sense of the matter around us.