Unit 4, Reading 1: The Pursuit of Strength

Match the main ideas below to five of the paragraphs in Reading 1. Connect the main idea to the number of the paragraph. There are 2 distinct measures of strength 3 Kevlar offers some advantages over steel 7 Materials have characteristic mechanical properties 2 Modern steel is an exceptionally strong and useful material for building and manufacturing 5 There are some disadvantages to using steel 6 Why does the author include information on early man? To show a connection between materials science and the earliest forms of technology To illustrate tool use by early human To demonstrate that natural materials have been used for tools for thousands of year To connect the early use of iron and bronze to the modern use of steel and other metals The capacity to conduct electricity is a mechanical property. TRUE FALSE Clay is a material that is baked at a high heat. It is used in bricks, plates, and bowls. Before it is baked, how would you describe the most important property of clay? Very flexible Highly plastic Very elastic Slightly brittle Materials with high compression strength are likely to also exhibit high tensile strength. TRUE FALSE Construction during the medieval period relied on gravity and materials with great compression strength. What kind of limitations do you think this placed on builders? Choose all that apply. It was difficult or impossible for them to build on high mountains Their buildings could not have thin walls Their buildings were not very strong and did not last very long They could not construct very tall buildings What makes steel unsuitable for some construction projects? Its conductivity Its strength Its weight Its cost Reading 1 mentions some uses of Kevlar. Based on these uses, what other properties do you think Kevlar has besides tensile strength? Elasticity Stiffness Hardness Toughness Why is graphene not widely used in industry today? It is still too expensive for widespread use Scientists do not yet know how to produce large quantities of it. The steel industry has fought to keep it off the market. Scientists are not sure if it poses a threat to public health. Scan Reading 1 to find this information. Then complete the chart below.--List three inherent properties of materials and explain what they mean. Property Explanation Electrical conducts electricity Mechanical response to force Thermal related to heat Optical related to how something is seen Scan Reading 1 to find this information. Then complete the chart below.--Review the three physical properties below. Complete the chart with the words that describe the two extremes of this property. Property High End Low End toughness tough brittle hardness hard soft stiffness stiff flexible