physical & chemical changes

A physical change is a change in the form of matter but not in its identity. An example of a physical change would be the dissolving of one thing into another thing. For instance, dissolving sugar into water. The water and the sugar retain their chemical identities and can be separated by physical means. Another example is ice melting to water. Ice and water are both H₂O. The identity of the matter is not changed, just the state that it is in.

A chemical change is a change in which one kind of matter is changed into a different type of matter. Some examples of chemical changes: the rusting of your car, setting your shoe on fire, digesting food, and the burning of magnesium metal in oxygen to form magnesium oxide. All of these materials combine chemically with another material , and cannot be separated by any physical means.