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The World of Metals and Non-metals

The job decides which test matters

Which material fits which job? The job decides.

Job: lamp flex, the cord of a lamp. Three materials to try: copper, pencil core, glass.
Step 1 of 3
  1. Job: lamp flex, the cord of a lamp. Three materials to try: copper, pencil core, glass.
  2. The job needs two things: carries the loop (the circuit), and draws into wire.
  3. Copper passes both. It fits the job.

The rule

A property is a quality of a material, such as shine.

Start with the job. The right material passes both properties the job needs.

Three jobs, and what each one needs
The jobWhat it needs
Wire in a lamp's flexCarries the loop, and draws thin
A bell for the school gateRings on, and survives a blow
Foil to wrap foodBeats out thin, and can be heated

The pencil core carries the loop too. But it snaps at a tap. So it fits a pencil, not a lamp's flex.

Now try it. Read the job. Tap the material that fits.

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This track

  1. 0 Start here
  2. 1 Shine, and the sound it makes
  3. 2 Beaten flat, or pulled into a wire
  4. 3 Carrying warmth, and carrying the loop
  5. 4 Non-metals are all around you
  6. 5 Why iron goes orange
  7. 6 The job decides which test matters
  8. 7 Checkpoint: properties, rusting and choosing
  9. 8 What burning makes: oxides
  10. 9 Why sodium sits in kerosene
  11. 10 Why gold and silver make jewellery
  12. 11 Jobs that non-metals do
  13. 12 The big picture
  14. 13 Track quiz

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