Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Matter cannot be created or destroyed.

1. Matter = all material in the universe that has mass and occupies space
- Can be transformed
- It cannot be destroyed or created
- The law of conservation of matter:
- - Helps us understand that the amount of matter stays constant
- - It is recycled in nutrient cycles and ecosystems

2. Atoms, isotopes, and ions are chemical building blocks

- Element = a fundamental type of matter, with a given set of properties
- Atoms = the smallest components that maintain an element’s chemical properties
- - Nucleus has protons (positively charged particles) and neutrons (no electric charge)

- Atomic number  = the defined number of protons
- Electrons = negatively charged particles surrounding the nucleus
- - Balances the positively charged protons