- The specific properties
There are nine specific properties of matter in total: Flexibility, perosity, malleability, brittleness, solubility, luster, hardness, ductlicity and finally elasticity.
- The definitions of each
Flexibility of matter is dependent on the object's capability to be able to bend without fracturing or breaking completely. The material rubber is very flexible as this can be highly twisted without it becoming broken.
Perosity is about the object's capability to soak up and take in water. An example of this would be a sponge; we can say that this has high porosity as it is capable of absorbing a lot of liquid.
Malleability is the entity's capability to be beaten into thin sheets. We can therefore say that steel is very malleable.
Matter is described as being brittle when it disintegrates after being subjected to a hard blow; the more brittle a substance is, the less impact it takes for it to disintegrate. Stone is described as being brittle.
If we say that something is soluble, we are saying that it is capable of dissolving into some other form of matter. For example, sodium chloride, which is also known as table salt, is very soluble as it will dissolve into water very quickly.
Luster is about an object's capability to gleam. An example of this would be diamond.
When we describe matter as being hard, we mean to say that it can resist a change in shape. How hard an object is is very much dependent upon how well it can resist this change. An example of something that displays this characteristic is wood.
If something is ductile, it means that it can be pulled out into long thin wires without breaking. Although it must be remembered that it is made from many other types of material, iron is ductile.
Elasticity is the capability of an object to be stretched; we can say that metal springs show elasticity, as these can be stretched.