Testing Properties
List three ways you can test or measure an object to determine its properties.
Expected answers could include: measuring mass, testing whether it sinks or floats, using a magnet, observing texture, observing whether it is transparent, etc.
What are the three states of matter?
TRIPLE POINTS
Answer: Solid, liquid, gas.
Q2 on PG 25
Look at the balance. Which toy has more mass: the duck, the moose, or neither?
Moose
Duck
Neither
What happens to water when you boil it?
Answer: The liquid water changes into water vapor/gas.
Steel is ___ than iron.
Stronger.
Amanda has a sample of matter in a beaker. What observation shows that the sample is a liquid?
DOUBLE POINTS
Answer: It takes the shape of its container when poured.
What test will show that a sample is a gas and not a liquid or solid?
Answer: Test what happens when its container is squeezed.
Daniel is using a balance to measure the mass of a rubber ball. What should he do next?
Answer: Add/use the appropriate gram weights to balance the object.
Tiny water droplets appear on the outside of a cold orange juice can. Where did the water come from?
DOUBLE POINTS
Answer: Water vapor in the air condensed on the cold can.
Observe the table. Which material would you use to build a boat? Justify your answer.
DOUBLE POINTS
Answer: Wood or plastic.
I would use wood because it is strong and floats.
or
I would use plastic because it floats, although it is weaker than wood.
You have a mystery object. What are some properties you could observe or test to learn more about it?
Magnetism, sink or float, mass, physical properties
How can you demonstrate that a substance is a solid, liquid, or gas?
Keely wants to find out if a wood block and a large coin will sink or float. What should she do?
DOUBLE POINTS
Answer: Place the objects in water.
What happens to water when you boil it? Explain what you see.
DOUBLE POINTS
The liquid changes into a gas and that they can see water vapor/steam above the heated water.
Why might an engineer choose wood instead of steel to make something?
Students should use properties from the table to support their answer.
Wood is ___ than glass, but glass allows you to ___ through it.
Answer: lighter; see.
How are the particles in a solid, liquid, and gas different?
What does a balance help scientists determine about an object?
Its mass.
What causes dew to form on grass when it hasn't rained?
DOUBLE POINTS
Answer: Water vapor condenses from the air onto the grass.
How can you combine materials to build a strong structure?
Students should explain that different materials can be chosen and combined based on their properties so that the structure has the properties needed for its purpose.
A student says, "This material is strong, magnetic, and solid." Name three ways you could test those properties.
You are given a mystery substance. Explain how you could use its properties to determine whether it is a solid, liquid, or gas.
TRIPLE POINTS
I can observe whether it keeps its shape, takes the shape of a container, or fills the container to determine if it is a solid, liquid, or gas.
You have three objects. Before putting them in water, make a prediction about which will sink and which will float. Then explain how you could test your prediction.
First, I would predict which objects will sink and which will float. Then, I would place each object in water and observe what happens. I would compare my prediction with the results to see if I was correct.
How are clouds forming and dew forming similar?
TRIPLE POINTS
Both involve water vapor cooling and condensing into liquid water. The review specifically asks students to compare these processes.
An engineer needs to build a structure. The materials available are wood, steel, and plastic. How could the engineer use the properties of each material to decide which materials to use?
TRIPLE POINTS
The engineer could look at the properties of each material, such as strength, weight, and flexibility, and choose the materials that have the properties needed for the structure. For example, steel could be used for strength, wood for a lighter material, and plastic for parts that need to be lightweight or flexible.