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Material Strength Explorer

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Material Strength Explorer

A storm has damaged a small footbridge in a wildlife park. Your team must find out which materials bend, stretch or hold their shape. If you have the materials, try the safe tests below with an adult. Use small, gentle forces; do not test glass, sharp objects or anything that could snap near your face. Record what you observe, then use the evidence to recommend a material.

Plan a fair test

A fair test changes one thing at a time and keeps other conditions the same. For a bending test, use strips of the same length and width, support each strip the same way, and add identical small weights one at a time. Stop if a sample cracks or becomes unsafe. You can do the investigation on paper by predicting the results.

1.Match each material to the property it is most likely to show. Write the letter beside each material. Materials: A. rubber band B. paper C. steel D. wood E. flexible plastic bottle Properties: 1. stretches and may return to its shape 2. tears easily 3. hard and strong 4. strong but can crack or split 5. can be squeezed and may spring back

A. rubber band
B. paper
C. steel
D. wood
E. flexible plastic bottle

2. tears easily
5. can be squeezed and may spring back
4. strong but can crack or split
1. stretches and may return to its shape
3. hard and strong

2.Before testing, predict which of these will bend most easily under a gentle push: a paper strip, a wooden craft stick or a plastic ruler. Explain what you based your prediction on.

3.You want to compare how much two strips bend. Which is the fairest method?

Use strips of different lengths and push harder on one.
Use strips of equal length and width, support them the same way, and add equal weights one at a time.
Bend one strip several times and compare it with a brand-new strip.

4.In a safe bending test, a cardboard strip bends when one small weight is added and bends further with each extra weight. Describe the change in the cardboard and name the force causing it.

5.During a gentle pull test, a rubber band gets longer and returns close to its original length after the pull is released. Which statement best describes the observation?

It stretched and sprang back.
It broke permanently.
It did not change shape.

6.A paper strip tears when pulled, while a string stays in one piece. What can you conclude from this test?

Sample

What happened? (bent / stayed firm / cracked)

Paper strip

Cardboard strip

Wooden craft stick

7.True or false? If a material bends, it must be weak and useless.

TrueFalse

8.Complete the idea: A material that is difficult to bend, stretch or break under a force can be described as .

9.The wildlife park needs a material for a bridge support that must carry a load without bending much. Recommend a material from the list and use one test observation or property as evidence. Name one limitation of your recommendation.