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What does the particulate nature of matter mean?

Class 8 ScienceNCERT chapter: Particulate Nature of Matterइसे हिंदी में पढ़ें

Exam-ready answer

The particulate nature of matter means that all matter is made up of extremely tiny particles that cannot be seen even with an ordinary microscope. These particles have spaces between them, called interparticle spaces. They are constantly moving, and they attract one another with interparticle forces of attraction. These properties explain the states and behaviour of matter.

Explanation

Anything that has mass and occupies space is matter, like water, air, sugar or a stone. If a sugar crystal is crushed, it breaks into smaller and smaller grains. When sugar dissolves in water, it seems to disappear, yet the water tastes sweet. This shows that sugar is made of very tiny particles that spread out between the particles of water.

The particles of matter have small gaps between them, called interparticle spaces; that is why sugar can fit into water without a large rise in level. The particles are always moving, and they move faster when heated. They also pull on one another through interparticle forces of attraction. How strong these forces are and how much space there is decides whether the matter is a solid, liquid or gas.

In a solid, such as ice, particles are packed closely with strong attraction, so it has a fixed shape and volume. In a liquid, such as water, particles are a little farther apart and can slide over each other, so it flows but keeps its volume. In a gas, such as air, particles are far apart with very weak attraction, so a gas spreads to fill its container.

Points to remember

  1. Matter is anything that has mass and occupies space.
  2. All matter is made of extremely tiny particles.
  3. Particles have spaces between them (interparticle spaces) and attract each other (interparticle forces of attraction).
  4. Particles are always moving; their motion increases on heating.
  5. Solids have the least interparticle space and strongest attraction; gases have the most space and weakest attraction.

Exam tip

Write the three properties as separate points: tiny particles, interparticle spaces and constant motion with forces of attraction. Support them with one activity, such as dissolving sugar in water, and a table comparing solids, liquids and gases.

Questions students also ask

What evidence shows that matter is made of particles?
Dissolving a little sugar or salt in water is good evidence. The solid seems to vanish, but the whole water tastes sweet or salty. The solid has broken into tiny particles that spread into the spaces between the water particles.
Why can gases be compressed easily but solids cannot?
In a gas, the particles are very far apart, so there is a lot of empty space between them that can be reduced by applying pressure. In a solid, particles are already packed closely, so there is almost no space left to squeeze.
What happens to particles when matter is heated?
When matter is heated, its particles gain energy and move faster. They can overcome the forces of attraction more easily and move farther apart. This is why a solid melts into a liquid and a liquid evaporates into a gas on heating.

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