Introduction to middle school chemistry

0:00- [Narrator] Fire burns, ice cream melts and metals rust. The world around us is alive with transformations, with matter constantly changing form, sometimes in the blink of an eye. But what is this world made of? What makes up this fire? The water we drink, the very air we breathe?

0:18What are clouds? For centuries, humans have been driven by these questions, and this led to an ancient practice called alchemy. This combined elements of science, philosophy, and magic. Alchemists tried to unlock the secrets of matter. To turn lead into gold. Search for ways to create potions and medicines to heal the sick.

0:39Their quest gave birth to what we now call chemistry. So the word chemistry has deep roots in the history of many cultures. Like I said, it comes from the word alchemy. And the word alchemy has `Al,' which has Arab origins. But what about the word chemistry itself?

0:57Well, some believe it comes from the Egyptian word for the black soil of the Nile, where the first technologies of food, medicine, and metallurgy were born. Others believe it comes from the Greek word for pouring together. But today we define chemistry as the study of matter.

1:16What's matter? Well, I don't know, what's the matter with you? (narrator chuckles) Okay, sorry. But matter is everything that has mass and takes up space, from the smallest atoms to the brightest stars. And so chemistry is everywhere. And that's why the first thing we will learn is how matter is made of these tiny particles called atoms.

1:37These atoms combine to make almost everything around us. And we'll also learn how to measure properties of these matters, like their mass, their volume, their temperature, density, and so much more. But chemistry is not just the study of matter. It's also about how it changes.

1:55Sometimes these changes are what we call physical, like dissolving or melting. And other times we call them chemical, like when substances react to form something entirely new. In every change, whether it's an explosion or evaporation or rusting of metal, energy plays a key role.

2:16So chemistry reveals an intricate dance between matter, energy, and how it all changes. So welcome to the world of chemistry, a world where we will uncover the mysteries of matter, like how they're made of tiny atoms and how they combine, and also learn about how they change.

2:33How these can be physical or chemical changes, and how energy plays a crucial role in all of them, and in shaping our very universe. (light music)