Materials and their properties.

What are materials? A material is a physical substance used to make things. Metals, plastics, ceramics, glass and fibres are some of the main categories for materials. If we look around, everything we see is made from a material, sometimes more than one ....

Can you see any other examples around you? For example: The clothes you are wearing are made from fibres. The chair you are sitting on is made from plastic. The windows in the school are made from glass. Can you see any other examples around you?

Properties of materials A property of a material is a description of the characteristics which it has. They are adjectives which tell us about the material. Materials have different properties and characteristics depending on what they are used for. Some materials are hard, others are soft. Some are strong, others are weak.

List of properties Here is a list of the properties which describe different materials: Shiny – It reflects light Strong – It won’t break easily Flexible – It can be bent easily without breaking Light - It doesn’t weigh much Heavy – It weighs a lot Coloured – Has colour Magnetic – It’s attracted to magnets Bendy - Flexible

Hard – Something which can’t be bent easily Brittle – It’s hard but will break easily Malleable – It can be shaped easily Magnetic – It’s attracted to magnets Bendy – Flexible Transparent – Something you can see through Translucent – Something you can partially see through Opaque – Something you can not see through Conductor – It allows heat or electricity to pass through Insulator – It doesn’t allow heat or electricity to pass through.

Which of the previous words could you use to describe: A) a pencil... Hard, light, opaque B) A window Transparent or translucent, hard, brittle C) A piece of paper... Light, opaque, malleable D) A fork... Shiny, hard, magnetic, opaque, conductor

Materials can be categorised into groups. One of the main groups is... Shiny Strong Good conductors of heat and electricity METALS Some are magnetic Usually opaque E,g aluminium, copper, iron, lead...

These properties make metals suitable for many things... Tools Bridges Coins Knives, forks and spoons Can you think of any other uses of metals?

Uses and properties.. Q) Why is copper suitable for electrical wiring? What properties must it have? - Good conductor of electricity - It is strong.

Why are saucepans made from metal Why are saucepans made from metal? Which properties make it suitable for the use? - It is a good conductor or heat. - It is It does not melt with high temperatures. - It is strong