What is matter?
Matter is anything that has weight or takes up space. Atoms and molecules are all composed of matter.
How does matter present?
Matter presents as three different states; solid, liquids and gases.
Solids present as a hard object which forms it's own fixed shape and fixed volume. An example of a solid is ice.
Liquids are wet and do not have a form of it's own. Instead, they take the form of the container that they are held in. Liquids have a definite mass and volume but do not have a definite shape. Water is a commonly used liquid.
Gases do not take their own shape either, nor do they have a definite volume or mass. Some gases are odourless and can be hard to identify. oxygen is an example of a gas.
Types of matter
Soild
Gas
Liquid
Changing states of matter
All types of matter can change from one form to another given the right conditions. For example, water in it's liquid form freezes to become ice (solid form) at zero degrees. At the opposite end of the spectrum, water becomes a gas when it begins to evaporate or become steam. This occurs when water reaches its boiling point. A common example of this change is when water freezes to ice or when water is heated and evaporation occurs.