What is matter?

Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass. The space an object takes up is known as its volume. The mass of an object is the amount of material it is made up of. The more mass an object has, the heavier it will be. Everything you see around you is made of matter. Even some things that you cannot see are made of matter. Here are a few examples:

• Your desk is made of matter.
• The juice in your lunchbox is made of matter.
• Trees are made of matter.
• Water is made of matter.
• Rocks are made of matter.
• Your toys are made of matter.
• Air is made of matter. 

^{Everything you can see in this picture is made of matter.}

Matter exists in different forms. These forms are called the states of matter. Three states of matter are solid, liquid and gas.