The periodic table of the elements, one way to describe the properties of matter.
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L.Gardiner/Windows to the Universe

Starting Points for Science

There are some basic ideas that you find in many kinds of science. We have grouped these "starting points for science" into three areas: space, time, and matter.

On one hand, "space" is the term we use for everything beyond Earth. "Space" is also the way we tell an object's location or the distance between objects.

Time is the second key idea that helps us get detailed in describing events. Measures of time may be in seconds, days, months, or years.

Out third key concept is matter. Matter is the "stuff" in the Universe. The amount of matter in an object is called the object's mass.

Last modified September 11, 2008 by Randy Russell.

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Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA