PL AR RSO P3L19 Exploring Materials III WS_1

Primary 3

Rocket Science OEQ

Name ______________
Tutor
Topic EXPLORING MATERIALS III (LESSON 19)

______________

EXPLORING MATERIALS III (LESSON 19)

Primary 3: Rocket Science OEQ

Lesson Outline

• Notes
• Activity 1: Hands-onActivity
• Activity 2: Open-ended Questions
• Activity 3: Science in Daily life

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Primary 3: Rocket Science

Exploring Materials

What are Materials?

Materials are used to make different things or objects around us. It forms a huge
part of our world.
There are many types of materials.
Some common types of materials are wood, glass, rubber, metal, ceramic,
fabric and plastic.

Materials have various properties or characteristics.
Strength, flexibility, transparency, ability to float or sink in water, whether a
material is waterproof

Materials are used to make different objects based on the properties they have.

clay metal leather

plastic wood glass

paper fabric rubber

Material song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOKr462HLc0&feature=youtu.be

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Primary 3: Rocket Science

Different types of materials and their uses:

Types Origin of the materials Examples of things made from the
material
of materials

Metal Miners mine metals from Iron nail, cooking pot, fork and spoon,
Rubber the ground. knife, coins.
Plastic Examples of metals are
iron, gold, copper and Tyre of vehicles, slippers, eraser,
Wood aluminium. rubber band, gloves, float, boots.
Traditionally, rubber comes
from the sap of the rubber Disposable cup, plate and containers,
tree. However, due to plastic bags
increased demand, man-
made rubber is also In construction industry, plastics are
commonly used. used to make pipes and helmets. In
Plastics are man-made medical industry, plastics are used to
materials. They are make syringes and tubes for surgical
obtained from crude oil uses.
found beneath the earth’s Furniture, paper, toilet roll
surface.

Wood comes from trees.

Styro-foam Styrofoam is a man-made Disposable plate and container
plastic material.

AR Model – Styrofoam

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Primary 3: Rocket Science OEQ

Types Origin of the materials Examples of things made from the
of material
Glass is man-made from
materials sand. The process of making Windowpane, spectacles, glass and
glass involves heating sand at jug
Glass extremely high temperatures
until it melts.

Ceramics Ceramics are man-made from Thermometers and glass beakers
Fabric clay that comes from the found in laboratory are also made of
ground. Clay hardens to form glass.
ceramics when it is heated to Plate, bowl, vase and tiles
very high temperatures.
AR Model – Vase
Fabric can come from plants
and animals. Clothes, curtains, silk, socks
Cottoncomes from the cotton
plant.
Silk comes from silkworm.

Wool comesfrom sheep. Raw Cotton Silk Wool from
materials are sent to plant worm sheep
processing factories to be
treated and made into fabric.
Fabric can also be man-made.

Nylon and polyester are man- Nylon and polyester fabrics
made fabrics

Leather Leather is made from the skin Handbag, shoes, belt, wallet
of animals such as cows,
snakes and crocodiles.

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Primary 3: Rocket Science

Properties of materials
Properties of materials are like characteristics in living things. Each material has its

own characteristics or properties.
The properties are used to describe the materials, just like how characteristics
describe living things.

Suitable materials are used to make objects that are useful in our everyday lives.

Let us look at some of the properties of materials and how these are useful to us.

Properties Description Examples of use
of

materials

Strength The ability of a material to withstand Metals are mainly used to
Waterproof (hold or carry)heavy weights. build bridges and
foundations of buildings
The stronger the material, the heavier because they are very
the weight it can carry or hold. strong materials.
It also refers to its ability to be pulled Other examples of strong
without breaking or tearing. materials include
stainless steel, iron and
A metal ruler does not break easily as copper.
metal is strong. Certain types of
plastic are strong as they do not Plastics or rubber sheets
break easily. Weak objects such as are used to make the
paper break easily. canopy of umbrellas and
raincoats because they
To test if an object is strong, we can do not absorb water at all.
add weights on it and observe if it
can withstand the weights. A strong
object will not break or tear easily.

The ability of the material not to
absorb water or allow water to pass
through it.
Waterproof materials do not get wet
easily.
To test if an object is waterproof, we
can put some water droplets on it. A
waterproof object will not absorb the
water or allow it to pass through.

Waterproof is an antonym
for absorbent.

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Primary 3: Rocket Science

Properties Description Examples of use
of
This is the ability of the material to Glass or ceramics are
materials break easily when dropped. brittle and hence, break
easily when dropped.
Brittle/Fragile When an object is placed in water, it
may float or sink. Metals are used to make
Float or sink anchors. They sink in
in water These factors affect sinking or floating water and hold the ship in
of objects: place.
• The material it is made of
• Weight of an object When filled with air,
• Shape or form of an object rubber and plastic floats
• Type of liquid on water, so these are
• Density or compactness of an used to make floats to aid
swimming.
object

To test for this property, we can place
the object in a container of water and
observe if it sinks or floats.

Flexibility The ability to bend easily without Cloth and rubber are
breaking. Flexible objects such as a flexible.
Elastic/ woollen scarf and a cotton shirt can
Stretchable be bent easily, but stiff objects such
as metal cutlery cannot be bent
easily.
To test if the object is flexible, hang
weights on it and observe if it can
bend.
A flexible object will bend easily
without breaking. A stiff object will not.

Can be stretched easily and return to Rubber is elastic
its original shape after stretching.

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Primary 3: Rocket Science

Properties Description Examples of use
of
This is the amount of light that can Glass is transparent and
materials pass through the material. hence used to make
The transparency of a material window panes so that we
Transparency determines how much we can see can see through the
through the material. windows clearly.
Heat Transparent materials allow most Clear plastic is
conductivity light to pass through them. We can transparent.
see through such objects.
Translucent materials allow some Frosted glass allows some
light to pass throw, objects can be light to pass through it
seen but not clearly. hence it’s translucent,
Opaque materials do not allow light while opaque materials
to pass through, objects cannot be like ceramics and wood
seen. do not allow any light to
To test if an object is transparent, we pass through them.
can shine a torch at it to test if it
allows light to pass through it. Metals are good
How quickly heat can pass through conductors of heat. They
the material. are used to make cooking
The faster heat passes through the pots so that the materials
material, the better a conductor of gets hot quickly and heat
heat it is. gets transferred to the
food quickly.
Electrical Electrical conductivity is whether
conductivity electricity can pass through the Metals are good electrical
material. conductors. They are used
to make wires because
electricitycan flow through
them.
Rubber and plastics do
not allow electricity to
pass through. Hence, they
are used to make
coverings of electrical
wires.

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Making things:

We use different materials to make different things based on the properties they
have.
Usually, more than one material are used to make an object especially if object has
different parts.
Let us look at a few objects that we use in our daily life and the properties of the
materials used in making these objects.

Objects Materials and their properties
Umbrella
plastic Plastics are waterproof. Hence, the
umbrella will not absorb water and the
metal user will not get wet when it rains.
Metal is strong and hence, the handle
will be able to hold the umbrella in
place.
The metal handle helps the umbrella to

withstand heavy rains and winds.

Shoes Fabric is soft and flexible, and is more
Rubber soles comfortable to wear than other
materials.
Fabric Rubber is waterproof, so the shoes will
Window not get wet when the wearer steps on
the puddles of water.
glass
Metal frame Glass is transparent, so it allows us to
see through the window pane clearly.
Sometimes frosted glass is used when
we don’t want the glass to appear
absolutely transparent.
The metal used to make the frame of
the window is strong, so it can withstand
the heavy weight of the glass, and
enables us to openand shut the window
safely.

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Objects Materials and their properties
Cloth peg
A cloth peg can be made of wood and
metal metal.
The metal part allows the cloth peg to
Sofa have a strong grip on the object it is
holding.
fabric Some cloth pegs are also made of
plastic.
Wood or
metal The cushions of a sofa may be made of
fabric/leather for comfort. The legs of
the sofa may be made of wood or metal
to support the weight of people sitting
on the sofa.

Watch the video and answer the following questions:
Materials and their properties

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=340MmuY_osY

(1) Why is glass used for window panes?
(2) Why do we use fabric to make clothes?

• Tough — resists failure, even after deforming
• Strong — resists both deformation and failure
• Ductile — deforms before it breaks
• Brittle — breaks before it deforms
• Hard — resists dents, scratches, and other permanent changes under

compressive force

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Primary 3: Rocket Science OEQ

Activity 1: Concept Recall and
Name the following: .

1. Two materials which are waterproof:
.

2. The ability to bend easily without breaking is known as

3. Materials which allow most light to pass through are called .

4. When the material breaks easily when dropped it is said to be
.

5. When the material returns to its original shape after stretching it is called
or .

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Primary 3: Rocket Science OEQ

Activity 2 – Open-ended Questions

1. Joshua conducted a test on BagsA, B and C which are made of different
materials as shown below.

Handle of bag

Retort stand

bag Container of
sand

He poured sand into each bag slowly until the handle of the bag broke.
He recorded the results in the table shown below.

Bag A Mass of sand added before the handle of the
bag broke (grams)

483

Bag B 285

Bag C 920

(a) Arrange the three bags according to their strength. Begin with the one

which is the strongest. [2]

(b) Joshua’s mother bought a packet of sugar that weighs 500 grams and

wanted to carry it home from the supermarket. Which bag, A, B or C,

should she use? Explain your answer. [3]

C:
E:
R:

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Primary 3: Rocket Science OEQ

(c) Joshua was told that the bags were made of cloth, plastic and paper.

Which bag,A, B or C is most likely made of paper? [1]

2. Dylan had 3 spoons of different shapes, sizes and materials.

W ooden spoon Plastic spoon Metal spoon

He was given a bowl of water to find out if the spoons of different materials
will float or sink in water.

(a) What should Dylan do to find out which spoon would sink or float. [1]

(b) Dylan’s teacher said that the test was not fair. What must he do to [1]
make it a fair test?

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Primary 3: Rocket Science OEQ

3. The diagram below shows a soap dispenser. Part X will enable Mrs. Lim to
know when she needs to refill the soap in the dispenser.

X [1]
(a) Name a material that would be suitable to be used to make part X.

(b) What are two properties of the material in (a) that are suitable to make

part X? [2]

Property 1:

Property 2:

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Primary 3: Rocket Science OEQ

4. Study the flowchart below.
Materials

Is it made No Does it allow No
from light to pass A

plants? through?

Yes No Yes
C B
Is it
flexible

?

Yes

D

(a) Identify which of the following objects are made of materialsA, B, C and D.

Write your answers in the boxes below. [2]

Object Material
Rubber band

Leather wallet
Wooden table
Glass window

(b) In which group can we place a cotton cloth and woollen sweater?
Cotton cloth: Group

Woollen sweater: Group

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Primary 3: Rocket Science OEQ

Activity 3: Science in Daily Life:A brief History of Plastics has changed our
world: National Geography

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQdBag_p6kE

Discuss Answer

Before Which material is used widely
the and found almost everywhere?
video
Which material was used to
0.36 replace glass on windshield?

2.50 Which plastic bottles were
2.58 banned in 1977?

What was the nickname of the
ship looking for a place to dump
trash?

3.20 What does the 4th R stand for?

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