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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 ....
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?

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.

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
Usually opaque
Good
conductors of
heat and
electricity
E,g aluminium,
copper, iron,
lead...
Some are
magnetic

These properties make metals
suitable for many things...



Tools
Bridges
Coins

Knives, forks and spoons

Can you think of any other uses of
metals?

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?
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