Year 9 - Science
Materials and composites: including metals, ceramics and polymers
Materials
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit examines the varying properties of elements, the reactivity series, and the role of carbon in metal extraction. It also explores catalysts and the properties of ceramics, polymers, and composites. Emphasis is placed on evaluating risks, using appropriate techniques, and interpreting data.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to classify materials as metals, ceramics, or polymers, and describe and predict the properties of some composite materials.
Key Notes
- Metals are good thermal and electrical conductors, they are strong, shiny, malleable and ductile.
- Ceramics are made from soft substances, becoming hard and brittle when heated.
- Plastics are made from polymers and there are many types of plastics with very different properties.
- An alloy is a mixture of elements including at least one metal.
- Composites combine materials to create a new material with improved properties.
Vocabulary To Learn
- metal: A material that is shiny, hard and a good thermal and electrical conductor.
- ceramic: A material which is hard and brittle.
- polymer: Long chained molecules formed by joining together monomers.
- alloy: A mixture of two or more elements where at least one element is a metal.
- composite: A material made from two or more different types of materials. When combined they create a new material with improved properties.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The word material can be challenging, it has a different meaning in everyday life. Understanding that an alloy is a mixture and not a compound is hard because the elements are difficult to separate.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Metals are good thermal and electrical conductors, they are strong, shiny, malleable and ductile. Ceramics are made from soft substances, becoming hard and brittle when heated.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'metal'
A material that is shiny, hard and a good thermal and electrical conductor. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: The word material can be challenging, it has a different meaning in everyday life. Understanding that an alloy is a mixture and not a compound is hard because the elements are difficult to separate. Correction: Provide lots of different examples of materials and use the word correctly within the scientific contexts. An alloy is the exception to the rule and is separated by thermal or chemical processes.
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