What is the physical nature of matter?
Matter is made up of particles which are very minuscule in size.
● Matter is made up of particles
There were two different thoughts regarding the shape of matter and what it is made of. One proposed that matter was continuous and rigid. While another theorised that matter was made up of particles like sand granules.
Here is a simple experiment to understand why the latter thought is right.
When a spoonful of salt is stirred into a beaker filled with water, the salt disappears into the water after some time. And there is no change in the level of water in the beaker.
This happens because the particles of salt move about inside the spaces of the water particles. If matter was continuous, salt wouldn’t have dissolved and it would have stayed in its own distinct form.
● The particles of matter are very minuscule in size
Even though matter is made up of particles, we cannot see them. This means they are very small in size. Another simple experiment will show how small the particles of matter are.
When a couple of copper sulphate crystals are dissolved in water, the water changes colour. As more and more water is added, the colour lightens. But it just doesn’t disappear. This means that just a few particles of copper sulphate can colour a large volume of water. This implies that there must be millions of tiny particles in one crystal of iodine. They keep
on dividing themselves into tinier particles, thus proving that the particles of matter are extremely small in size.