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Physical vs Chemical Changes
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Physical vs Chemical Changes
At a music festival in Aotearoa New Zealand, Hugo, Mere and Ari help prepare food and equipment. Decide whether each change is physical or chemical. A physical change alters a material’s form or state without making a new substance. A chemical change makes one or more new substances. Clues such as bubbles, colour change, heat or a new smell can help, but a clue alone is not proof.
Make your calls
Use the festival examples and the evidence in each question. Remember: reversibility can be a useful clue, but it is not the definition of a physical change.
1.Which statement best distinguishes a chemical change from a physical change?
- A chemical change always changes an object’s shape.
- A chemical change forms one or more new substances.
- A chemical change always happens quickly.
- A chemical change can always be reversed.
2.For each change, write physical or chemical: (a) chocolate melts in a warm bowl; (b) ice melts in a chilly bin; (c) a metal tent peg rusts after being left damp; (d) a paper wristband is torn into strips.
3.At the demonstration table, Mere mixes two clear liquids. The mixture fizzes and the cup becomes cooler. Which conclusion is best supported, and what observation supports it?
4.Hugo says, “If a change can be reversed, it must be physical.” Is Hugo’s rule always reliable? Explain briefly.
5.Match each observation with the most sensible interpretation. Interpretations may be used more than once.
- A solid dissolves in water and can be recovered by evaporating the water.
- Two liquids fizz when mixed.
- A new solid appears when two solutions are mixed.
- A substance changes state from liquid to solid.
- Strong evidence that a new substance formed
- A physical change; only form or state changes
- A physical change; only form or state changes
- A clue that a gas may have formed
6.Complete the sentence using these words: chemical, new. A change makes a substance.
7.Complete the sentence using this word: physical. A change can alter a material’s size, shape or state without making a new substance.
8.Ari sees a candle burning at the festival and says, “It is only a physical change because the wax melts.” Explain why this claim is incomplete.
9.The festival team wants to compare how quickly equal-sized ice cubes melt in sunlight and in shade. Name one factor to keep the same and one measurement to record. Is melting a physical or chemical change?
10.A damp iron peg develops a reddish-brown coating. State the type of change and explain what has happened to the iron.
11.Invent one plausible change that could happen while setting up or running a music festival. Describe the observation and decide whether it is physical or chemical, explaining whether a new substance forms.
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