What is matter?
Q: What is matter?
A: Matter is the substance of which all material is made. It refers to objects which have mass and rest mass, which is a form of energy regardless of whether it is moving or has thermal energy.
Q: How is matter different from mass?
A: Matter is often used variably in everyday language, while mass is a precisely defined concept and quantity in physics. Mass refers specifically to the amount of matter in a particular object.
Q: What is rest mass?
A: Rest mass is a form of energy that matter possesses even when it is not moving or does not have thermal energy.
Q: What is ordinary matter composed of?
A: Ordinary matter is made up of tiny particles called atoms, which move and vibrate continuously.
Q: How do the particles of ordinary matter behave when heated?
A: When heated, the particles of ordinary matter move faster and further apart from one another.
Q: And how do they behave when cooled?
A: When cooled, the particles of ordinary matter move slower and closer together.
Q: What are the spaces between atoms in ordinary matter called?
A: The spaces between atoms in ordinary matter are called interstitial spaces.
