Which term describes something that has mass and occupies space?

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Multiple Choice

Which term describes something that has mass and occupies space?

Matter is the stuff that has mass and takes up space. Everything around you—rocks, water, air, even the human body—has mass and occupies volume, so it’s considered matter. The other ideas describe energy or specific properties rather than the general term for those things: a substance that conducts electricity is about a material's ability to carry current, heat energy is the energy transferred as heat, and a form of stored energy refers to energy like potential energy. Light carries energy but isn’t matter, since it doesn’t have mass in the usual sense. So, the term that fits perfectly is matter.

Matter is the stuff that has mass and takes up space. Everything around you—rocks, water, air, even the human body—has mass and occupies volume, so it’s considered matter. The other ideas describe energy or specific properties rather than the general term for those things: a substance that conducts electricity is about a material's ability to carry current, heat energy is the energy transferred as heat, and a form of stored energy refers to energy like potential energy. Light carries energy but isn’t matter, since it doesn’t have mass in the usual sense. So, the term that fits perfectly is matter.

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