Properties of Materials for Psle
Physical Science Part A
a) Materials
A material is something which an object is made of. There are different types of materials and each type has its own properties.
Materials can be natural or man-made. Natural materials can come from animals, plants or the ground. Man-made materials are artificially made using chemicals.
There are different types of materials.
Examples:
Wood
Rubber
Cloth
Metal
Rock
Plastics
Glass
Wood:
Wood comes from trees. Wood can last for a long time if it is properly seasoned and treated with paint and preservatives.
Wood is:
- Waterproof - Hard - Floats - Opaque - Poor conductor of heat and electricity
Some wood are harder than others. They can be used to make furniture and in the construction of buildings and houses. We also use them as handles for cooking pans due to their poor conductivity of heat.
Rubber:
Rubber is made from latex collected from rubber trees. Natural rubber is soft and cannot withstand heat. Vulcanisation is carried out to transform it into a strong, elastic, tough and durable material.
Rubber is:
- Soft - Waterproof - Flexible - Elastic - Poor conductor of heat and electricity - Sinks
Cloth:
Cloth is made from fibres which can be natural or man-made.
There are different kinds of cloth. They include:
Cotton, Linen, Wool and Silk.
Cloth is:
- Light and soft - Flexible - Can be dyed in different colours - Poor conductor of heat and electricity
Cotton:
Cotton comes from the cotton plant. The seeds of this plant are covered by a ball of cotton fluff. This is used to make threads which are woven into cotton cloth.
It is cheap and cool and comfortable to wear. It creases easily unless treated with chemicals.
Linen:
Linen comes from the stem of the flax plant and it has a coarser texture than cotton. Fine linen can be used to make delicate tablecloths while
a) Materials
A material is something which an object is made of. There are different types of materials and each type has its own properties.
Materials can be natural or man-made. Natural materials can come from animals, plants or the ground. Man-made materials are artificially made using chemicals.
There are different types of materials.
Examples:
Wood
Rubber
Cloth
Metal
Rock
Plastics
Glass
Wood:
Wood comes from trees. Wood can last for a long time if it is properly seasoned and treated with paint and preservatives.
Wood is:
- Waterproof - Hard - Floats - Opaque - Poor conductor of heat and electricity
Some wood are harder than others. They can be used to make furniture and in the construction of buildings and houses. We also use them as handles for cooking pans due to their poor conductivity of heat.
Rubber:
Rubber is made from latex collected from rubber trees. Natural rubber is soft and cannot withstand heat. Vulcanisation is carried out to transform it into a strong, elastic, tough and durable material.
Rubber is:
- Soft - Waterproof - Flexible - Elastic - Poor conductor of heat and electricity - Sinks
Cloth:
Cloth is made from fibres which can be natural or man-made.
There are different kinds of cloth. They include:
Cotton, Linen, Wool and Silk.
Cloth is:
- Light and soft - Flexible - Can be dyed in different colours - Poor conductor of heat and electricity
Cotton:
Cotton comes from the cotton plant. The seeds of this plant are covered by a ball of cotton fluff. This is used to make threads which are woven into cotton cloth.
It is cheap and cool and comfortable to wear. It creases easily unless treated with chemicals.
Linen:
Linen comes from the stem of the flax plant and it has a coarser texture than cotton. Fine linen can be used to make delicate tablecloths while