Materials Around Us — Volume, Matter and Design (3 of 3) · Learner pages

Lesson 1 · Distinguish volume from capacity

Read a simple volume scale, distinguish contents from container capacity and convert litres to millilitres.

Name or initials: ____________   Date: ____________

Volume is the space occupied by a material. A container’s capacity describes how much it can hold. A partly filled container contains less liquid than its capacity.

1. Separate the two quantities. The model container has a capacity of 250 mL but contains 150 mL of water. State whether a number describes the container’s capacity or the amount inside. A capacity label is not a reading of the current contents.
2. Read a marked scale. Locate zero and the interval between neighbouring marks. Here each interval is 50 mL and the level is at 150 mL. In a real measuring cylinder, place it upright on a level surface and read the bottom of the water’s curved surface at eye level. This flat-surface drawing is simplified.
3. Follow the same water. If all the water is poured into another container without spilling, the volume of water is unchanged even though the shape and height of the water can change. Shape alone does not reveal its volume.
4. Use appropriate units. 1 L = 1000 mL, so 2 L 250 mL = 2250 mL. The SI unit of volume is the cubic metre, written m³; 1 m³ = 1000 L. Mass units such as g and kg describe a different quantity.

Worked example: A jug of capacity 800 mL contains 350 mL. Adding 200 mL gives 550 mL of water, leaving 250 mL of unused capacity because 800 − 550 = 250. The calculation assumes the readings are accurate and no water is spilled.

1. A 500 mL capacity bottle contains 200 mL. What is the water volume?

   1. 200 mL · 2. 500 mL · 3. 700 mL

2. A scale has marks at 100, 150 and 200 mL. Each interval represents…

   1. 100 mL · 2. 150 mL · 3. 50 mL

3. The same water is poured into a wider container without spilling. Its volume…

   1. Must become zero · 2. Stays the same although its height can change · 3. Must increase because the container is wider

Discuss: Sketch two differently shaped containers holding the same stated volume. Explain why their water heights can differ, then write a capacity-and-contents pair with units.

Explain or demonstrate

A 1000 mL container holds 420 mL. Another 180 mL is added without spilling. Calculate the contents and unused capacity, then explain why a new container could show a different water height.

Evidence to include:

• Contents found by addition
• Unused capacity found by subtraction
• Shape distinguished from volume

Lesson 2 · Use evidence that air is matter

Explain matter using mass and occupied space, including materials that cannot easily be seen.

Name or initials: ____________   Date: ____________

In this lesson matter means anything that has mass and occupies space. Solids, liquids and gases can all be matter. Being visible is not a requirement.

1. Include gases in the explanation. The model shows air inside a rigid container. Air occupies the available inside space even when it is clear and invisible. Both drawings show the same container volume; adding more air to a rigid container need not enlarge it.
2. Interpret supplied mass readings. Use the supplied comparison only; do not try to pressurise a container. The same sealed rigid container has readings of 350.0 g and 350.4 g before and after more air is added. With other contributions unchanged, the added air accounts for the 0.4 g increase.
3. Connect both kinds of evidence. The air takes up space in the container and contributes mass. These observations support calling air matter. A clear view through air is evidence about transparency, not absence of matter.
4. Respect the limits of a drawing. The dots represent air in a simplified model. They are not actual visible particles, literal particle counts or a scale for calculating mass. Use the stated measurements, and distinguish what a diagram shows from what it cannot establish.

Worked example: Two supplied readings for the same rigid container are 480.0 g and 480.3 g, with only the enclosed amount of air increased. The increase is 0.3 g. The container’s outside dimensions are unchanged, so this is evidence that more matter can be present without a larger external volume.

1. Which definition matches matter in this lesson?

   1. Only objects we can see clearly · 2. Only solids that feel hard · 3. Anything that has mass and occupies space

2. Why can clear air still be matter?

   1. Air has no space or mass · 2. It occupies space and has mass even though it is invisible · 3. All invisible things must be solids

3. The same rigid container reads 350.0 g and then 350.4 g after more air is added. The increase is…

   1. 0.4 g · 2. 350.4 g · 3. 700.4 g

Discuss: Write an evidence sentence using “mass” and “space” to explain why clear air is matter. Add one sentence describing a limit of the dots-and-container model.

Explain or demonstrate

Interpret the supplied rigid-container data: 620.0 g before and 620.5 g after adding air, with all other contributions unchanged. State the mass change and a model limitation. Do not carry out a pressure experiment.

Evidence to include:

• Mass change calculated
• Air linked to mass and occupied space
• Dots described as a model

Lesson 3 · Choose materials using evidence

Combine several properties to choose a material, test a claim fairly and explain reuse choices.

Name or initials: ____________   Date: ____________

A useful choice begins with the job, then evidence about candidate materials. The best sample for one job may be unsuitable for a different job.

1. Define the job. Design a cover for a small indoor display. Its contents must stay visible, the cover must keep its shape and it must resist occasional water splashes. These are three separate criteria; this is not a test of drinking-water or food safety.
2. Record evidence for actual samples. The supplied table describes a stiff card, a clear plastic sheet and a cloth sample. These particular samples have different observed properties. The table does not claim that every plastic, card or cloth has identical properties.
3. Choose and justify. The tested clear plastic sheet meets all three stated criteria in the table. Explain which observation supports each criterion. If a requirement changes, reconsider the choice instead of claiming one material is always best.
4. Improve and use resources thoughtfully. Reuse a clean intact suitable sample when available. Check how local collection handles its material and coatings; a familiar material name does not guarantee local recyclability. Gather feedback on the design and change one feature before retesting.

Worked example: A group compares the bounce of two similar-size balls. To investigate the ball material, they keep the drop height, surface and release method the same, repeat trials and record rebound heights. If they also change the floor and push one ball, a different rebound cannot be attributed to material alone. This supplied comparison practises fair testing; it does not prove all objects of either material behave alike.

1. The supplied clear plastic sample is stiff, transparent and resists splashes. Which requirement does transparency address?

   1. The cover must be blue · 2. The display contents must be visible · 3. The sample must weigh exactly 1 kg

2. Why compare all three design criteria?

   1. A sample can meet one need and fail another · 2. One property proves every possible use · 3. All materials always behave the same

3. In a bounce comparison intended to investigate ball material, what should be held the same?

   1. Only the learner’s handwriting · 2. Everything except the drop height and floor · 3. Drop height, surface and release method

Discuss: Plan a small useful item from clean intact leftover material. Name two requirements, compare two candidates with evidence, draw the design, and record one change after feedback. Use a drawing or a teacher-approved no-cut assembly.

Explain or demonstrate

Create a drawing of a small useful item from a clean intact leftover material. State two requirements, compare two candidates, justify one choice and revise one feature after feedback.

Evidence to include:

• Two measurable or observable requirements
• Candidate comparison with evidence
• One recorded revision

Final check · Set 1

Try one set after the lessons. Use the other set after reviewing any errors.

1. Convert 1 L 250 mL to millilitres.

   251 mL / 2500 mL / 1250 mL

2. An 800 mL jug contains 350 mL. After adding 200 mL without spilling, how much capacity remains?

   450 mL / 250 mL / 550 mL

3. A drawing uses six dots to represent some air. What is justified?

   Each dot must have a mass of 1 g / The dots are a simplified representation, not literal particle counts / The container holds exactly six air particles

4. More air is added to the same rigid container. Which observation can occur?

   Mass increases while the container’s outside volume stays the same / The container must double in width / The air must stop being matter

5. Why repeat a classroom comparison when practical?

   To check whether the observations are consistent / To guarantee every result is identical / To make the grouping rule disappear

6. The display now needs to hide its contents. What should the team do?

   Keep transparency as an unchangeable requirement / Assume visible and hidden mean the same thing / Revise the criteria and reconsider the material

Final check · Set 2

Try one set after the lessons. Use the other set after reviewing any errors.

1. Which is the SI unit of volume?

   m³ / kg / cm

2. For a real water measuring cylinder, which reading method is appropriate?

   Tilt the cylinder and read from above / Use only the container’s colour / Cylinder upright and level; read the bottom of the curved water surface at eye level

3. A supplied same-container comparison changes from 480.0 g to 480.3 g. What supports the conclusion that added air has mass?

   The container is painted a new colour / The drawing has larger letters / Only the air amount changes, and total mass increases by 0.3 g

4. Which statement correctly distinguishes transparency from matter?

   Only opaque objects can be matter / A transparent material can still have mass and occupy space / Transparent means there is no material

5. A package is labelled plastic. What does this alone establish about local recycling?

   It can never be reused / Local acceptance still needs checking / Every collection centre accepts it

6. Which improvement plan produces interpretable feedback?

   Change one design feature, then compare with the same requirements / Change all materials and all requirements without records / Discard the evidence before deciding