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Central Idea:
 * Natural materials can undergo changes that may provide benefits and pose challenges to society and the environment **.

What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea? 
 * Conditions that cause reversible and irreversible changes
 * How societies take advantages of the properties of materials
 * The impact of retrieval, production and use of materials on the environment

What is Matter?  Matter is a general term for the substance of which all physical objects consist.[1][2] Typically, matter includes atoms and other particles which have mass. A common way of defining matter is as anything that has mass and occupies volume.[3] However, different fields use the term in different and sometimes incompatible ways; there is no single agreed scientific meaning of the word "matter".  [|more from en.wikipedia.org] [|Strange Matter]Discover the secrets of everyday stuff!! Zoom in stuff! Transform stuff! Crush stuff! Improve stuff What are the Elements? "The first periodic table was devised by Dmitri Mendeleev and published in 1869. Mendeleev found he could arrange the 65 elements that were then known in a grid or table so that each element had: 1. A higher atomic weight than the one on its left. 2. Similar chemical properties to other elements in the same column." (link)

To learn about each element, visit these interactive Periodic Tables of Elements on the web: The Periodic Table of Videos from Nottingham University Chemicool Web Elements PT Table (for investigating phases) What is Material?  Material is anything made of matter, constituted of one or more substances. Wood, cement, hydrogen, air and water are all examples of materials. Sometimes the term "material" is used more narrowly to refer to substances or components with certain physical properties that are used as inputs to production or manufacturing. In this sense, materials are the parts required to make something else, from buildings and art to stars and computers.  [|more from en.wikipedia.org] What is Change? The act of becoming different. Read about the States of Matter at this web page and this wiki page.

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Photos for the header are: Glass by [|tonyhall] ; Coal by [|fallsroad] ; Fire by [|benwatts] ; Forestby [|Moyan_Brenn] ; Silver Platelets by <span style="background-color: #fefefe; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|St Stev]