Matter 3

WHAT ARE PROPERTIES OF MATTER?
All matter has properties (characteristics) that make it unique (different) from other matter. The way matter looks, feels, size, and shape are each a property(characteristic) of matter. Matter can be hard or soft. It can be wet or dry. These are some properties of matter.
HOW ARE PROPERTIES USEFUL?
When we make things, we use materials with properties that help each thing do its job. A property of sugar is that it is sweet. So we use sugar to make cookies sweet. An artist uses paints of different colors to make a picture. Properties of matter are important for all the things we make.
COLOR: Color is another property. For many things, color is not important. A blue bike works as well as a green one. But color is important to an animal that is trying to hide from an enemy.
TEXTURE: Properties such as rough, smooth, sticky, or fuzzy are used to describe how things feel. You wouldn’t sleep under a slimy blanket. A rough spoon would hurt your mouth.
MAGNETIC: Some properties of matter are hard to see. Metal can be used to make a magnet. A magnet pulls other pieces of metal toward it. But you can’t tell that metal is a magnet unless it attracts other metal.
BURNING/MELTING: Some matter, like wood and paper, burns when it gets very hot. You would not use a rock to make a fire, it does not burn. Other matter, like wax or ice, melts when it gets warm. You can’t see these properties unless you add heat to the material.
SINK/FLOAT: Another property that’s hard to see is whether an object sinks or floats. Two things that are the same size can do different things in water. Most rocks will sink in water. Pumice is rock that can float in water. Most wood floats. But metal usually sinks. You would not make an anchor out of wood because it would probably float.

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