Year 5 Science · Properties and uses of materials · Summary
Year 5 Science Properties and uses of materials: summary and key words
Part of the Year 5 Science properties and uses of materials chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Chapter summary
| Skill | Method |
|---|---|
| Hardness and transparency | A harder material makes fewer scratches. Transparent materials let you see through them; opaque ones do not. |
| Electrical conductivity | Conductors, such as metals, let electricity pass through them. Insulators, such as plastic, wood and glass, do not. |
| Thermal conductivity | Metals conduct heat well. Wood and plastic are poor conductors, so they are used for handles. |
| Magnetic materials | Iron and steel are magnetic. Copper, aluminium, wood, plastic, glass and rubber are not pulled by a magnet. |
| Choosing materials | Match a material’s properties to the job, and use evidence from fair tests to justify the choice. |
Can you…?
- I can compare materials by hardness and transparency, using a fair test
- I can say which materials conduct electricity, and sort them into conductors and insulators
- I can use a spoon test to compare how well materials conduct heat
- I can say which materials are magnetic, and group materials by that property
- I can give reasons, from evidence, for choosing a material for a use
Key terms
- property
- a feature of a material that can be described or measured
- transparent
- a material that you can see clearly through
- opaque
- a material that does not let light through
- hardness
- how difficult a material is to scratch or mark
- conductor
- a material that lets electricity pass through it
- insulator
- a material that does not let electricity pass through it
- thermal conductor
- a material that lets heat pass through it easily
- magnetic material
- a material that a magnet pulls towards it, such as iron or steel
- fair test
- a test in which only one thing is changed, and everything else is kept the same