Properties of Matter Notes & Questions | Class 3 Environmental Studies (EVS) | Drishti OS

Properties of Matter

What you'll learn

Matter has mass and occupies space.
Describe matter as hard, soft, rough, smooth, heavy, light.
Test properties by touch, look, and simple compare.
Link to Looking Around 3 — observing objects in classroom and home.

Key concepts

Level 1 — Core idea

Verbal: A stone is hard and heavy; cotton is soft and light — both are matter.

Symbolic: Matter → mass + volume (space).

Visual: Same-size ball: iron feels heavier than plastic — different mass.

Level 2 — Going deeper

Physical properties can change (ice melts) but it is still water matter. Colour, shape, texture help us sort objects.

NCERT anchor

NCERT Looking Around 3, Chapter 1 (Poonam's Day Out) and Chapter 6 (Food We Eat) invite describing things around you. Use safe touch tests only.

Worked example

Compare a brick and a sponge — two properties each.

Step 1 — Brick: **hard**, **heavy**
Step 2 — Sponge: **soft**, **light**
Step 3 — Both have mass and take space → **matter** ✓

Does air have mass? (balloon test idea)

Step 1 — Empty balloon vs same balloon blown up
Step 2 — Inflated one slightly harder to hold → **air adds mass**
Step 3 — Air is matter ✓

Common mistakes

Mistake	Why	Fix
Light has mass	Everything feels matter	Light is energy, not matter
Soft means not matter	Cotton seems empty	Soft objects still have mass
Colour = not matter	Rainbow confusion	Coloured paint is matter
Only solids are matter	Gas forgotten	Solids, liquids, gases all matter

Quick check

Name two properties of a eraser.
Does matter always have mass?
Hard or soft: pillow?
Stretch: Sort five kitchen items by heavy vs light.

Revision tip: Make a touch bag — guess object by property before looking.

Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Properties of Matter.

Properties of Matter