Some materials are found naturally on Earth, others are made by humans. One material may be hard and brittle, while another may be soft and bendy. These types of features are called “properties”. We choose a material for a specific job based on its properties. For example, you wouldn’t build a castle out of chocolate!
Metal
Metals are usually strong, but not brittle, which means they do not break easily. Iron, for example, may be used to make strong chains. Metals are also good at allowing heat and electricity to pass through them.
Types of metal
Different metals have different properties and so are used to make different things.
- Gold is a shiny metal from which crowns and jewellery are made.
- Iron is heavy. Heated flatirons were once used to press clothes.
- Aluminium is a light metal. It is used to make cans and aircraft.
- Copper is easy to bend. It is often used for water pipes or wires.
Brick
Bricks are rectangular blocks of clay mixed with sand. They are heated to a high temperature to make them very hard. Because we can make as many bricks as we want that are exactly the same size, they are an ideal building material.
Glass
Glass is made by melting sand. It is transparent, which means we can see through it. So it is often used to make windows, it can also be made in different colours. Glass is hard, but brittle and so can easily be broken.
Wood
Wood comes from the trunks of trees. It is strong and light. Wood is easy to cut into different shapes, so it is sued to make bridges, buildings, and furniture. Wood is also easy to set on fire. Burning wood is useful because it produces heat.
Cloth
Cloth can be made by knitting or weaving cotton, wool, or silk. It is a soft, light material, and people have made clothes from it for thousands of years. It can also be used to make coloured flags.
Rock
Rock is a natural material. For example, mountains are made of rock. Some rocks are hard, but others are soft and crumbly such as chalk. Humans have often used hard rocks to build tall, strong walls.
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