Topics · Primary Science · Cycles: Matter
Matter: anything that takes up space
Matter is anything with mass that takes up space. Solids, liquids and gases behave differently because of how tightly packed they are — and gases count as matter even though you cannot see them.
- 152 exam papers analysed
- appears in 46% of P4 Science papers
- ~3 min read
01 The two tests
Something is matter if it has mass and takes up space. Both, not one.
So air is matter: it has mass, and it takes up space — which is why a balloon gets bigger when you blow into it and a bottle of air cannot be filled with water until the air is let out.
Light, heat, sound and electricity are not matter. They are forms of energy: no mass, no space taken up. That is the distinction papers ask for most.
| Thing | Has mass? | Takes up space? | Matter? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stone | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Water | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Air | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Light | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Sound | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
02 The three states
The differences come from how tightly the matter is packed and how freely it can move.
| State | Fixed shape? | Fixed volume? | Can be squashed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Liquid | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Gas | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
- Solid — keeps its own shape and volume wherever you put it.
- Liquid — takes the shape of its container but keeps its volume. Pour 200 ml between containers and it stays 200 ml.
- Gas — fills whatever it is in, however large, and can be compressed. This is why a bicycle pump works.
03 Showing that a gas is really there
Papers use a small set of demonstrations, and knowing what each one proves is the point.
An upturned glass pushed into water — the water does not fill it, because the air inside takes up space.
Bubbles from a submerged bottle — air leaving it, and only then does water enter.
A balloon on a balance — it weighs more inflated than empty, so air has mass.
A gas spreads to fill its container — the smell of food reaching across a room.
04 Mass, volume and measuring
Mass is how much matter there is, in grams and kilograms, measured on a balance.
Volume is how much space it takes up, in cm³ or millilitres.
A liquid's volume is read from a measuring cylinder at eye level, at the bottom of the curve the surface makes.
An irregular solid's volume is found by displacement: put it in water and measure how much the level rises. The rise is the volume, which is a favourite P5 question.
05 How to say them
These are words most children have never said out loud, and a word you cannot say is a word you avoid using. Capitals mark the syllable you lean on. Tap the speaker to hear it.
- matter
Anything that has mass and takes up space. Solids, liquids and gases are all matter.
- mass
How much matter something contains, measured in grams and kilograms.
- volumesayVOL-yoom
How much space something takes up, in cm³ or millilitres.
- compresssaykuhm-PRESS
To squeeze into a smaller space. Only gases can be compressed.
- displacementsaydis-PLAYSS-muhnt
Finding an irregular solid's volume from how much the water level rises.
06 What each level is tested on
The same topic, asked differently as it goes up. The percentage is the share of papers at that level in which it appears.
- P4
What matter is, the three states and their properties.
Practise P4 Cycles: Matter — 10 questions →46% of P4 papers
- P5
Showing that gases are matter, and measuring mass and volume including by displacement.
Practise P5 Cycles: Matter — 9 questions →28% of P5 papers
- P6
Matter inside longer questions and links to changes of state.
Practise P6 Cycles: Matter — 9 questions →25% of P6 papers
07 Mistakes worth knowing about
Each of these is wrong. Decide why before you open it.
“Air is not matter because you cannot see it.”
It has mass and takes up space, so it is matter. Being invisible is not one of the tests.
“Light is matter because it comes from the sun.”
Light has no mass and takes up no space. It is energy, not matter.
“Liquids can be squashed into a smaller space.”
Only gases can be compressed. A liquid keeps its volume.
“Pouring water into a tall thin glass makes more of it.”
The shape changes; the volume does not. 200 ml stays 200 ml.
“The volume of a stone is the volume of the water.”
It is how much the level rose — the difference between the two readings, not the total.
Now try it
28 questions across 3 levels, marked as you go with the working shown.