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Law Of Conservation Of Matter Definition

The Law of Conservation of Matter tells us that the amount of matter stays the same even when a substance changes form. For example, sugar dissolving in water changes form without matter loss.

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Conservation of Matter

LESSON MATERIALSmove

Fun Facts

  • Ice melting does not change its mass because matter is conserved.
  • Sometimes it may seem that matter disappears during a science experiment, but it is only changing form because matter cannot be magically created or destroyed.
  • Dry ice turns into gas in a sealed flask, changing form but conserving matter.

Why Do We Need To Know About Law Of Conservation Of Matter

Learning about the law of conservation of matter helps you see how things change form but don’t disappear. For example, in cooking, knowing that sugar dissolves in water but doesn’t go away helps when making recipes. In environmental science, understanding that burning things turns them into gases helps with controlling pollution.

This idea is useful in real life. For example, knowing that the ‘smoke’ from dry ice is actually carbon dioxide changing from solid to gas helps keep food fresh during shipping. Also, realizing that bread rises because of gas bubbles, not because it gets more matter, is important for baking. These examples show how this law is used in different jobs to solve problems and create new things.

Frequently Asked Questions

When the team mix 25 grams of sugar into 150 grams of water, the sugar seems to disappear! Where does it go?
The sugar dissolves into the water. It is still there, it simply changes into a form we can't see.
What evidence tells us that the sugar is still there, even though we can’t see it?
The sugar water weights 175 grams which is the same as all the sugar (25g) plus all the water (150g). This is evidence that the sugar is still there even though we can’t see it.
When Dr. Jeff boils the sugar water, what happens?
As the water is heated it changes forms from liquid to gas. The sugar is left behind as a solid, providing us with evidence that it was in there the whole time.
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