Density is a ratio of mass to volume. Relative density is a comparison of the density of two or more things.For example: What is the relative density of the two balls and water in the diagram? Ball A sinks in the water, thus the density of ball A is greater than the density of water. […]
States of Matter
What is Matter? Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space, such as water. The photo shows water first falling and filling and collecting at the bottom of the waterfall. When the collected water increases in volume, the water spills over a rock boundary. Water takes up space. Volume is the amount of […]
Floating
Why Do Some Heavy Objects Float and Other Heavy Objects Sink? New Terms buoyancy buoyant force density displacement fluid volume Whether an object sinks or floats in a fluid (liquid or gas), depends on several variables: 1. The density of the object in a fluid. (Density is the ratio of the object’s mass […]
Using Inertia to Measure Mass
What is Newton’s First Law of Motion? Newton’s first law of motion is about inertia. While this might sound technical, it’s not. Inertia is a characteristic of an object’s state of motion. Well, this doesn’t sound very easy, so let me try again. Actually, I am writing this so that a special technical reviewer, […]
Graviton
Gravity is a force between materials. The greater the mass, the greater the force of gravity, so things that have a lot of mass, such as the planet Earth, pulls things with less mass, such as a chunk of rock, to its surface. As shown in the diagram, the winner of the gravity tug-of-war between […]
Measurements: Mass vs. Weight
I am helping a first year teacher who is teaching science to children who are not fluent in English. 1. How does one explain that mass and weight are not interchangeable terms when the same instrument, such as a bathroom scale, can be used to measure both mass and weight? 2. How does one explain […]
Gases Have Volume
Chemistry is the study of the composition, structure, properties, and interactions of matter. Matter is all the material in the universe. Simply, matter is the stuff that things are made up of. Matter has mass and volume. Mass is the amount of material (stuff) something is made of. Mass is not affected by gravity. Materials are […]