Matter can be classified based on its properties, state, composition, and whether it undergoes physical or chemical changes. There are three main states of matter - solid, liquid, and gas. Matter can also exist as a plasma at very high temperatures or as a Bose-Einstein condensate at very low temperatures. Matter is either a pure substance, which has a definite composition, or a mixture of substances. Pure substances can be elements or compounds. Chemical changes result in new substances forming, while physical changes do not alter the composition of the matter. The law of conservation of mass states that mass is neither created nor destroyed in physical and chemical changes.