English National Curriculum - Science
Mission Objectives
Recall examples of composites and their components
Compare the physical properties of glasses, ceramics, polymers, composites, and metals
Explain and select materials for specific uses based on their properties
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Words and meanings to learn
glass
a solid material made by heating sand and other substances until they melt and then cooling them to form a hard, transparent and brittle structure
soda-lime
the most common type of glass, made from sand, limestone and sodium carbonate; it melts at a relatively low temperature and is used for windows and bottles
borosilicate
a type of glass made from sand and boron trioxide; it has a higher melting point and is more heat-resistant than soda-lime glass, so it is used for cookware and laboratory glassware
ceramic
a hard, brittle, heat-resistant material made by shaping and heating clay or other inorganic substances; ceramics have strong bonds and are electrical insulators
composites
materials made from two or more different substances that are combined to improve properties; one material acts as a matrix and surrounds fibres or fragments of another material (the reinforcement)
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