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Testing Materials Properties

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Testing Materials Properties

Freya, Oliver and Maryam are preparing a small model canal boat for a journey. They need to choose suitable materials for its hull, window, canopy and a spill cloth. Use the evidence in the results grid to make decisions. A fair test changes one thing at a time and keeps the other conditions the same.

Material

Strength

Flexibility

Light through it?

Water absorbed

Card

2 weights

Bends

5 ml

Clear plastic

3 weights

Bends easily

Yes

0 ml

Metal

8 weights

Does not bend easily

0 ml

Wood

6 weights

Does not bend easily

1 ml

Cotton fabric

1 weight

Bends easily

Some

8 ml

Read the evidence

Strength here means how many weights a sample held before bending or breaking. Lower water absorbed means more waterproof in this test. A material can be good for one job and unsuitable for another.

1.Which tested material held the most weights? Use the grid to name it and give its result.

2.Which material absorbed the most water, and how many millilitres did it absorb?

3.The boat needs a window so the crew can see through it. Which material is the best choice according to the results?

Card
Clear plastic
Metal
Wood

4.Water has spilled inside the boat. Which tested material would be best for soaking it up? Explain using one result from the grid.

5.The hull needs to support a load and should not soak up water. Which material is the best choice from these tests? Give two pieces of evidence.

6.A material that bends easily is always weak. Use the results to explain your answer.

7.For a fair strength test, the group should use samples of the same size and add weights in the same way. Name one other thing they should keep the same.

8.Oliver says, “Wood is waterproof because it absorbed only 1 ml.” Is this conclusion fully supported? Explain.

9.The group tested each material only once. What could they do to make their results more reliable?

10.The boat needs a flexible canopy that keeps rain out. Describe a simple test to compare two materials for this job. Say what you would measure and one thing to keep the same.