Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. Mass refers to how heavy an object is based on the amount of particles it contains, while volume refers to the space an object occupies. Mass and volume can be measured using tools like balances and measuring cylinders. The properties of matter depend on how closely packed and attracted the particles are - solids have a fixed shape and volume as particles are tightly packed, liquids have a fixed volume but not shape as particles are moderately attached, and gases have no fixed shape or volume as particles are far apart with weak attraction.