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Properties of Matter and Their Measurement

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Topics

  • Properties and Measurement of Matter
  • SI Units and Base Quantities

Properties and Measurement of Matter

Matter exhibits distinct properties that are classified into two main categories:

1. Physical Properties
These can be observed or measured without changing the chemical composition of a substance.
Examples: colour, odour, melting point, boiling point, density.

2. Chemical Properties
These involve a change in chemical composition due to a chemical reaction.
Examples: burning of coal to form carbon dioxide and combustion of magnesium to form magnesium oxide.

Measurement of Properties:

  • Many properties of matter are quantitative (measurable).
  • Measurement is a comparison with a standard unit, which is fixed, reproducible, and universally accepted.
  • A quantitative measurement has two components: a number and its unit.
    Example: 10 m (10 = number, m = metre, the unit for length).

Common systems of units:

  • CGS: centimetre-gram-second
  • FPS: foot-pound-second
  • MKS: metre-kilogram-second

SI Units and Base Quantities

  • In 1960, the General Conference on Weights and Measures adopted the International System of Units (SI units) based on the metric (decimal) system.
  • SI units provide a universal standard for scientific measurements.

Seven SI Base Units:

Base Quantity Symbol SI Unit Unit Symbol
Length l metre m
Mass m kilogram kg
Time t second s
Electric Current I ampere A
Thermodynamic Temperature T kelvin K
Amount of Substance n mole mol
Luminous Intensity Iᵥ candela cd

All derived units (e.g., speed, area, volume, density) are formed from these seven base quantities.

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