Matter Matters
What are the three common states of matter?
Solid, liquid, and gas
Is melting ice a physical or chemical change?
Physical
What is the chemical symbol for oxygen?
O
What force pulled our pumpkin boxes toward the ground?
Gravity
What is a scientific prediction based on?
Observations, evidence, and scientific reasoning
Which state has a definite volume but takes the shape of its container?
Liquid
What happens to particle motion when thermal energy increases?
Particles move faster
What does the atomic number tell us?
The number of protons in an atom’s nucleus.
What form of energy increases as a box falls?
Kinetic
Which tool would you use to measure mass?
Balance
How do particles in a solid move?
They vibrate
Name two signs that a chemical reaction may have occured.
Gas production, color change, temperature, light, precipitate.
Which element has the symbol Na?
Sodium
Why can soft padding help protect a pumpkin?
It increases stopping time/distance and can reduce peak impact force.
What is the independent variable in an experiment?
The factor the investigator deliberately changes
Why does a gas fill its entire container?
Particles move freely and spread apart.
During evaporation, do water molecules disappear or change identity?
Neither
What do elements in the same vertical group often share?
Similar chemical properties because of related outer-electron arrangements.
A box measures 2 ft × 2 ft × 2 ft. What is its volume?
8 cubic feet
If testing warm vs. cold water, name one variable to keep constant.
same tablet type/mass, same water volume, same container, same stirring.
A sealed syringe of air is compressed. What happens to particle spacing?
Particles become closer together.
Why can a temperature change be evidence of a chemical reaction?
Some reactions release or absorb energy; temperature alone does not prove a reaction.
Name the symbols for carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur.
C, N, S
Why should engineers test and revise a design instead of guessing?
Testing provides evidence about weaknesses; revision uses that evidence to improve performance.
What are the three parts of a CER explanation?
Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning