Every card in The periodic table, Year 7: more practice
The whole deck, in order — so you can read it through before your child ever sees it.
- Why are the bases of saucepans made of metal?
Metals are good conductors of heat
HintThink about what has to travel from the hob into the food.
WhyHeat passes quickly through a metal base from the hob to the food. A poor conductor such as plastic would stay cool underneath and cook the food slowly.
- Most metals are not magnetic. Which common metal element, the main ingredient of steel, is?
Iron
HintIts symbol is Fe.
WhyIron, cobalt and nickel are the magnetic metals. Copper, aluminium and gold are not, so magnetism is a useful test for iron but not for metals in general.
- At room temperature, which state are most metals in?
Solid
HintThere is just one well-known exception, and it is not the rule.
WhyMost metals have high melting points, so they are solid at room temperature. Mercury is the exception and is a liquid.
- What one word describes the ringing sound a metal makes when it is struck?
Sonorous
HintThink of a bell, a gong or a cymbal.
WhyBells and gongs are made of metal because metals ring when struck. Non-metals such as wood or plastic give a dull thud instead.
- What does it mean if a material is described as hard?
It resists being scratched or dented
HintThink about what you could do to its surface with a key.
WhyDiamond is very hard because almost nothing can scratch it. Hard is about the surface, and a hard material can still be brittle.
- A steel cable can hold up a lorry without snapping. What one word describes this property?
Strong
HintIt is about how large a force the material can take before it breaks.
WhyA strong material withstands a big force without breaking. Steel is strong, while chalk is easily crushed even though it feels solid.
- Which word means able to bend easily without breaking: flexible, brittle or rigid?
Flexible
HintThink about what you can do to it without it snapping.
WhyA flexible material bends and returns, or can be bent, without cracking. It is the opposite of brittle, which snaps when you try to bend it.
- Do most non-metals conduct electricity well?
No, most are poor conductors (insulators)
HintCompare them with copper wire.
WhyNon-metals such as sulfur, oxygen and plastic carbon compounds do not let electricity pass easily. That is why plastic is used to cover wires.
- Which non-metal, a form of carbon found in pencil leads, is an exception and conducts electricity?
Graphite
HintIt is also a form of carbon, but not the hard, sparkling one.
WhyGraphite is a non-metal that conducts electricity, so it is used in electrodes. It is a famous exception to the rule that non-metals are poor conductors.
- A lump of solid sulfur is hit with a hammer. Does it flatten like a metal, or shatter?
It shatters, because solid non-metals are brittle
HintCompare it with how a metal copes with being hammered.
WhySolid non-metals are usually brittle and break into pieces. Metals are malleable and change shape without breaking.
1★ KS3-CHEM-PER-0025
2★ KS3-CHEM-PER-0026
3★ KS3-CHEM-PER-0027
4★ KS3-CHEM-PER-0028
5★ KS3-CHEM-PER-0029
6★ KS3-CHEM-PER-0030
7★ KS3-CHEM-PER-0031
8★ KS3-CHEM-PER-0032
9★ KS3-CHEM-PER-0033
10★ KS3-CHEM-PER-0034
Keep what you learn
Here, nothing is saved. In your child’s own sky every card is scheduled — it comes back just before they’d forget it — and the professor who wrote it is one tap away.