Year 4 Science: Liquids
Part of the Year 4 Science solids, liquids and gases chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Liquids
A liquid flows, and it can be poured. A liquid takes the shape of its container, so it is wider in a wide dish and taller in a tall glass. When a liquid is still, its top surface is flat.
Water, milk, cooking oil and orange juice are all liquids.
Key ideas
- A liquid flows, and can be poured.
- A liquid takes the shape of its container.
- The top surface of a still liquid is flat.
- Water, milk, cooking oil and orange juice are liquids.
Method. Think about whether milk flows.
- Think about pouring. Milk can be poured, so it flows.flows
- Name the state. A material that flows is a liquid.liquid
- Write the answer. liquid
Check. Milk takes the shape of the glass. ✓
Method. Look at the water in the glass.
- Look at the top. The top of still water is level, like a table.level
- Name the shape. The shape of the top surface is flat.flat
- Write the answer. flat
Check. A liquid has a flat top when it is still. ✓
Method. Check whether cooking oil flows.
- Check the oil. Cooking oil pours out of a bottle, so it flows.pours
- Decide. So cooking oil is a liquid, and the answer is yes.yes
- Write the answer. yes
Check. Oil is a liquid, like water. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: a liquid does not keep its own shape. If you pour water into a jug, the water takes the shape of the jug, not the shape it had before.
Try it at home or school (with a grown-up). Pour a small cup of water into two different containers, such as a tall glass and a wide dish, with a grown-up. Look at the shape of the water in each one, and say what you notice.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask: “What shape is the water now? Is the top flat?” Let your child pour carefully over the sink or a tray.
Exercise 6B Liquids
Method. Think about which one flows.
- Look at each one. Milk flows and can be poured, but a rock does not.flows
- Write the answer. milk
Check. Milk is a liquid. ✓
Method. Read the key idea in section 6.2.
- Read the key idea. A liquid takes the shape of its container.takes the shape
- Write the answer. yes
Check. Pour water into a tall glass, and it becomes tall. ✓
Method. Read the key idea in section 6.2.
- Read the key idea. The top surface of a still liquid is flat.flat
- Write the answer. flat
Check. A still liquid is level on top. ✓
Method. Read the key idea in section 6.2.
- Read the key idea. A liquid flows, and can be poured.poured
- Write the answer. poured
Check. Pouring is how a liquid moves between containers. ✓
Method. Check whether cooking oil flows.
- Check the oil. Cooking oil flows, like water.flows
- Write the answer. yes
Check. Cooking oil is a liquid. ✓
Method. Check whether orange juice flows.
- Check the juice. Orange juice can be poured, so it flows.poured
- Write the answer. yes
Check. Orange juice is a liquid. ✓
Method. Think about which one flows.
- Look at each one. Water flows, but wood and ice keep their shape.keep their shape
- Write the answer. water
Check. Ice is a solid, and wood is a solid. ✓
Method. Count the liquids.
- Count them. All four of these flow and can be poured.four
- Write the number. So there are 4 liquids.4
- Write the answer. 4
Check. Four liquids in the list. ✓
Method. Think about the amount of water.
- Think about the amount. Pouring the water does not add or remove any, so the amount stays the same.stays the same
- Write the amount. So the dish has 100 ml of water.100
- Write the answer. 100
Check. The shape changes, but the amount is the same. ✓
Method. Think about the jug.
- Think about the water. The water takes the shape of the jug.takes the shape
- Decide. So Ruby is not right.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. A liquid does not keep its own shape. ✓
Method. Think about a liquid in a container.
- Think about the dish. The dish is wide and flat.wide and flat
- Make the prediction. The water takes the shape of the dish, so it spreads out.spreads out
- Write the answer. Accept any prediction that says the water will spread out into a wide, shallow shape.
Check. Test your prediction with a grown-up, using a tray. ✓
Method. Think about what a liquid does.
- Think about flowing. A liquid flows, so it moves into the shape of the container.flows
- Write the reason. So the water takes the shape of the new container.new container
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says a liquid flows, so it takes the shape of the container it is in.
Check. Flowing is what makes a liquid change shape. ✓