Material Properties Vocabulary
Use property terms to describe and compare materials: electrical and thermal conductor or insulator, transparent, translucent, opaque, soluble, insoluble, magnetic, flexible, rigid, and density. Use these terms to explain choices of materials for particular jobs.
What a learner can do afterwards
- Classify a set of materials as electrical conductors or insulators and explain why using the correct terms
- Use 'transparent', 'translucent', and 'opaque' correctly and distinctly in descriptions
- Apply at least four property terms correctly when justifying a material choice for a given purpose
1 · Read
Match a material's properties to its job. Use these words to explain your choice. An electrical conductor lets current flow easily, as copper does. An electrical insulator, such as ordinary plastic, resists current flow. Thermal means to do with heat. A metal pan conducts heat readily. A thermal insulator slows heat transfer. A plastic handle slows heating from the pan, but can still get hot. Do not touch hot pans to test materials.
Transparent materials give a clear view through them. Translucent materials pass light but scatter it, blurring the view. Opaque materials block visible light. Clear glass is transparent, frosted glass is translucent, and a wooden board is opaque. A clear view does not mean that every bit of light passes through.
Soluble means able to dissolve in a liquid. In water, sugar is soluble and sand is insoluble. Dissolved sugar remains in the water even when its grains are no longer visible. Flexible means easy to bend without breaking. Rigid means resistant to bending. A flexible material need not spring back after bending; springing back is a separate property.
A magnetic material is attracted to a magnet. Iron and many steels show strong attraction to a classroom magnet; copper does not. Density compares mass with volume, the space a sample takes up. Of two samples with equal volume, the one with more mass has higher density. Comparing weight alone is not enough when the samples have different sizes.
A model window needs four properties. Transparent gives a clear view. Rigid helps it stay stiff. Insoluble in water means it does not dissolve in water. Low density means little mass for its volume, helping keep the model light. Match each property to a stated need. Insoluble does not mean waterproof.
Words like conductor, insulator, transparent, translucent, opaque, soluble, magnetic, flexible, rigid, and density let you describe and choose materials exactly.
The readings and flashcards were written for this dataset. Physical properties is a linked Khan Academy video.
More to read
Name the kind of conductor
A material can be tested for electrical conductivity or thermal conductivity. Say which one you mean.
Copper in a cable carries electrical current readily. The ordinary plastic covering resists current flow. In a cooking pan, metal helps heat travel toward the food. An insulating handle slows heat transfer toward your hand.
Insulation has limits. A handle can become hot, and damaged cable covering may not protect you. Do not use sockets, appliances or hot pans to test materials.
Choose a word from the observation
Different observations call for different property words. A strip that bends easily without breaking is flexible. A strip that resists bending is rigid. Neither result tells you whether the strip dissolves in water or is attracted to a magnet.
Density needs two measurements: mass and volume. Compare equal-volume samples. The sample with greater mass has higher density. If the samples have different volumes, comparing their masses alone is not enough.
Passing light and seeing clearly
Imagine choosing a panel for a display case. You need to see details through it. A transparent panel gives that clear view.
A privacy panel may have a different job. A translucent panel lets light pass but blurs details beyond it. An opaque panel blocks visible light.
Check the view as well as whether light passes. Transparent and translucent do not mean fixed percentages of transmitted light.
Explore more
2 · Watch
Take it off screen
Where it sits
This opens up
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.