Properties of Materials

Materials are most of all the objects and therefore materials have its own properties. In general different properties of materials are enlisted below. Since materials have these properties it makes the materials useful and purposeful to use. To understand the properties of material explore the article!

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Introduction

The material can be termed as the mixture of materials to compose a thing.

Properties of Materials

• Transparency/Opaque: The amount of light material allow passing through it is transparency of the material. The maximum amount of light to pass through the material, therefore, they are transparent materials. Examples: Plastic, Air, and Glass.
  Translucent materials are, which that only allow light to pass through them partially. Examples: Oiled paper, Coloured syrup, and some sheer materials.  An opaque object is the materials are, which don’t allow any light to pass through them. Examples: Wood, Cardboard, and Metals
• The appearance of the Material:  The look, feel, texture in addition to lustre, colour and quality defines the property of appearance of the material.
• Soluble/Insoluble: The nature of the material to completely dissolve in water and therefore termed as soluble material. Materials are completely dissolvable in water, therefore, they are soluble materials. Examples: Lemon juice, Sugar and Salt. materials don’t completely dissolve in water, they form a thin film over the surface of the water, therefore, they are iron rods and copper wires.Examples: Oil, Kerosene and Sawdust.

Some More Properties Of Materials

• Float/Sink: weight of the material helps to define this property. The material is lightweight it will float over the surface, therefore, they are floating material. Examples: Insoluble materials like Sawdust, Oil, Plastic and Wood. The material is heavyweight it will sink in water, therefore, they are sinking materials. Examples: Stone and Metals
•  Heat and electricity conductivity: Materials that allow heat and electricity pass through the material and hence called good conductors of heat and electricity. Good conductor of heat and electricity are which allow the head and electricity pass through them.Examples: Iron rods and copper wires. Bad conductors are the materials which don’t allow heat and electricity pass through them. Examples: hydrochloric acid.
• State of a material: Compactness and the consistency of the materials describe the state of a material. There are 3 states in which a material can be classified and they are as solid, liquid and gaseous. Solid materials are the most compact and the particles are densely packed.
  Examples: Wood, Paper and Glass. Liquid materials are less compact and particles are moderately densely packed. Examples: Water, Oil and Kerosene. Gaseous materials are least compact and particles are loosely packed. Examples: Air.

Browse more Topics under Sorting Materials Into Groups

• Objects Around Us

 Questions for You

Q1 Find the odd man out in terms of material it is made of:

1. Rubber
2. Gold
3. Coal
4. Chalk

Answer Gold

Coal, chalk and rubber all are non-metals but gold is metal with lustre and is the good conductor of heat and electricity whereas non-metals are bad conductors of heat and electricity.

Q2 Which among the following is the softest metal?

1. Platinum
2. Silver
3. Iron
4. Aluminium

Answer Aluminium

Q3 Which of the following has a dull appearance?

1. Gold foil
2. Aluminium foil
3. Steel rod
4. Bricks

Answer Bricks. The appearance of an object depends on colour, hardness, texture, and lustre of its material. Materials which are made up by non-metals have dull appearance eg. bricks.