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Exploring Material Properties

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Exploring Material Properties

Alex, Mason and Evie are helping prepare a small safety kit for a ferry trip. Read the material clues and use properties—not guesses—to decide what each item should be made from. You can use the property guide more than once.

Material property guide

Hardness: resistance to scratching or denting. Flexibility: ability to bend without breaking. Transparency: how much light passes through. Absorbency: ability to soak up liquid. Strength: ability to withstand a force. A material can have several useful properties, and its properties may vary by type or thickness.

1.The ferry needs a window so passengers can see the water. Which material is the best choice, and which property makes it suitable?
2.The crew want a cover for a small first-aid kit. It must bend around the kit and keep light rain out. Choose the best option.
  • A. A thin, flexible, waterproof plastic sheet
  • B. A rigid glass panel
  • C. A soft, absorbent cotton cloth
  • D. A brittle piece of dry chalk
3.A metal spoon and a cotton cloth are both placed in a cup of water. Which is more absorbent? Explain what you expect to happen.
4.Select the two statements that correctly describe particles in matter.
  • A. Particles in a solid are close together and vibrate in place.
  • B. Particles in a liquid are fixed in a rigid pattern.
  • C. Particles in a gas are spread out and move freely.
  • D. Particles disappear when a liquid evaporates.
5.Which state has particles that are close together but able to move past one another?
6.Evie puts an ice cube in a drink. Later it melts. Is melting a change of state or a change of material? Explain.

Choose and test materials

Imagine each material is available in a suitable size. Consider the job and the property needed before deciding.

7.Match each ferry item to the property that is most useful for its job.
  • A clear viewing window
  • A handrail that must not bend easily
  • A cloth used to wipe up a spill
  • A flexible cover around equipment
  • Rigid
  • Flexible
  • Absorbent
  • Transparent
8.Mason compares a thick plastic strip with a thin plastic strip. The thin one bends more easily. What does this show about how thickness can affect a material’s flexibility?
9.Alex wraps a fragile container in soft cloth before putting it in a bag. Explain how the cloth could help protect it, using a property word.
10.A crew member says, “All plastics are transparent.” Is this claim reliable? Give a reason and one counterexample.
TrueFalse
11.The crew need to cover a small viewing panel. It must let people see through it, resist splashes and stay in place. Suggest one material and explain how at least two of its properties suit the job.
12.Plan a fair test to compare how well cotton cloth and plastic keep a paper square dry. Name one thing to keep the same and describe what you would observe or measure.

3 printable pages

  • Exploring Material Properties, page 1 of 3: Material property guide

    Page 1

  • Exploring Material Properties, page 2 of 3: Choose and test materials

    Page 2

  • Exploring Material Properties, page 3 of 3: 11. The crew need to cover a small viewing panel. It must let people see through it,…

    Page 3

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