Material thing

A material thing is made up of matter, which includes all substances that have mass and occupy space. Matter is composed of atoms and molecules, and its properties include mass, volume, and density.

  • Material things include objects, living organisms, and even intangible things such as sound or light, which are considered material because they are made up of particles.
  • An attribute of an object is called a property if it can be measured or observed through the senses (e.g. its colour, size, weight, odour, taste, and location).
  • Objects can be identified or characterized through their properties, which manifest themselves in various ways.
  • These manifestations often exhibit consistent patterns, indicating that there is a underlying cause or mechanism that governs the properties.
    • For example when different metals are mixed to form alloys, such as bronze or steel, the resulting material often exhibits a consistent relationship between its composition (the types and proportions of metals) and its density. So increasing the percentage of a denser metal in an alloy tends to increase its overall density.
Related diagrams

Each diagram below can be viewed on its own page with a full explanation.

References