The term materials is used to describe not only the substances that objects are made from but also all substances in the Universe as we know it. There are many ways to group materials. This may be by observable things such as those considered as the physical properties of materials. We can also group as either a solid, liquid or a gas, usually referred to as states of matter.
Materials are made up of one or more elements. There are118 known elements of which some 92 are naturally occuring. These elements are often presented in something called the Periodic Table.