Different Types of Materials

KEY IDEAS

  • Different materials have different properties
  • Materials can be classified into groups including state, shape, color, texture etc

EXAMPLE QUESTIONS

  • What different types of materials are there?
  • What kinds of things make materials different from each other?
  • When sorting materials, what different groups can you put them into?

MATERIALS HAVE SHAPE COLOUR TEXTURE AND BEHAVE IN DIFFERENT WAYS

  • There are many materials that have similarities and differences that can be seen (shape, color) and felt (texture).
  • Some materials are flexible and others rigid.
  • Some materials can be stretched or squashed easily and other can not.

MATERIALS CAN BE CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO DIFFERENT CHARACTERISTICS

  • Shape, color, texture and flexibility are just some of the characteristics that enable materials to be classified.
  • Some materials can be classified in more than one way.

DIFFERENT MATERIALS HAVE DIFFERENT USES

  • We make use of both natural and manufactured materials.
  • Which materials to use depends on their suitability for the intended job.
  • For example, both natural wood and manufactured plastics are used to construct some buildings.
  • The choice of material used also depends on their availability and cost.
  • Features such as strength, rigidity, flexibility, durability (and sometimes the reverse), and how materials react to wetness or dryness, are just some of the criteria that have to be considered.
  • Humans select the material that will do the intended job most effectively.