Physical Nature of Matter

Is Matter Continuous or Particulate?

For a long time, two schools of thought prevailed regarding the nature of matter:

🧪 Activity 1.1: Salt Dissolving in Water

Materials needed:

• 100 mL beaker
• Water
• Salt or sugar
• Glass rod

Procedure:

1. Fill half the beaker with water
2. Mark the level of water
3. Dissolve some salt/sugar using the glass rod

Observations:

• The salt disappears into the water
• The water level does NOT change significantly

Conclusion: The salt particles spread throughout the water by getting into the spaces between water particles.

This proves that matter is made up of particles!

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How Small Are These Particles? 🔍

🧪 Activity 1.2: Potassium Permanganate Dilution

Procedure:

1. Dissolve 2-3 crystals of potassium permanganate in 100 mL water
2. Take 10 mL of this solution → put in 90 mL clear water
3. Repeat dilution 5-8 times

Observation: Even after repeated dilution, the water remains coloured!

Conclusion:

Just a few crystals can colour about 1000 L of water. This means there must be millions of tiny particles in one crystal!

Key Learning

The particles of matter are extremely small — they are small beyond our imagination! 🤯