(FCM) Food and Cooking: Matter Module Overview

Food and Cooking: Matter Module Overview

When you eat a meal do you ever wonder what your food is really made of? Why do we like certain foods and dislike others? What makes some foods taste sweet, sour or bitter? In this module we will be able to answer the following questions.  

  • How are the molecules in your food arranged?
  • What type of molecules are in your food?
  • Where does your food comes from?
  • How is your food prepared?

We will look at how milk is transformed into ice cream. We will examine how water steams vegetables and can transform gelatin in desserts. After completing this module you will understand more about what you eat and why we have to eat to survive.

Essential Questions

  • Why is it accurate to say, "You are what you eat"?
  • What makes certain elements unique?
  • How can we distinguish different elements from each other, and individual elements from compounds?
  • How does rock candy and rock salt illustrate the characteristics of liquids, solids, and solutions?

Key Terms

  1. Atomic Number -The number of protons found in the nucleus of an atom of an element.
  2. Atoms - The smallest unit of an element that maintains the characteristics of that element.
  3. Boiling Point- The point at which a substance changes phase from a liquid to a gas.
  4. Chemical Change - When a substance combines with another to form a new substance.
  5. Compounds - Two or more elements that are chemically combined to form a new substance.
  6. Density - The amount of matter per volume. Measured by dividing the mass of an object by its volume.
  7. Elements ‐ A pure chemical substance consisting of one type of atom distinguished by the number of protons contained in its nucleus.
  8. Gas ‐ A state of matter that is a compressible fluid which will conform to the shape of its container, but it will also expand to fill the container.
  9. Law of Conservation of Matter - Matter is not created nor destroyed, but only changes form.
  10. Liquid ‐ A fluid state of matter that is nearly incompressible that conforms to the shape of its container, but retains a (nearly) constant volume independent of pressure.
  11. Melting Point - The point at which a substance changes phase from a solid to a liquid.
  12. Mixtures ‐ Two or more substances that are physically combined where the characteristics of each substance are retained.
  13. Molecules ‐ Two or more elements that are chemically combined by a covalent bond.
  14. Periodic Table ‐ An organized chart of chemical elements based on the number of protons contained in the nucleus of an atom of that element.  
  15. Physical Change ‐ Changes affecting the form of a chemical substance, but do not change the chemical composition of that substance.
  16. Plasma ‐ A high energy state of matter taking the form of gas-like clouds or ion beams.
  17. Precipitate ‐ A solid that forms when a substance comes out of solution.
  18. Solid ‐ A low energy state of matter that has a definite shape and a definite volume.

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