●Paper: opaque, rather

- Milk carton: Paper / flexible

● Milk carton paper lined with ● Paper lined with
● Plastic cap plastic plastic: waterproof,
- Plastic cap: plastic opaque, flexible

● Glass bottle: Glass/ ● Glass: clear, transparent, brittle

coloured glass ● Aluminium: flexible, opaque
● Glass bottle ● Paper/plastic: opaque, flexible,
● Aluminium cap:
● Aluminium cap
Metal not waterproof
● Label
● Label: Paper/plastic

●Flexible, opaque, shiny,

●Aluminium / metal /
waterproof, conducts heat / has
● Drink can metal lined with plastic
high thermal conductivity

● Plastic that makes up bottle and

cap: waterproof, high strength
● Plastic bottle Plastic ● Plastic that makes up label:

● Plastic cap flexible, waterproof

● Plastic label

● Covering of wires: Plastic: flexible, waterproof, does

Plastic not conduct electricity / has low
Handphone charge ● Electrical wires: Metal electrical conductivity
● Metal: flexible, shiny, conducts

electricity / has high electrical

conductivity

A variety of answers could be accepted as there is no single

solution to the questions.
• Plastic that makes up milk carton: waterproof, can contain milk; light,
easy to carry
• Aluminium/metal that makes up drink can: waterproof, can contain
drink; light, easy to carry; good conductor of heat, easy to chill the
drink in fridge; malleable, mould into different shapes
• any valid point
 Note(s)
Students classify the items in
Table 2.1 into sustainable and
non-sustainable products.

purpose of the object/ properties the object should

possess
• users of the object
• where will it be used
• is the source sustainable
• any valid example

The different physical properties of materials allow us

to use the materials for various purposes. The rich
diversity of the natural world is needed for our
continual survival.
 A

D. The material should be a good conductor of heat, so that it is able to heat up

water quickly
• The melting point of the material should be well above the boiling point of
water, so that it will not melt during heating
D

A
• Durable/ used for a long time without needing to be replaced
• Does not have adverse side effects/ does not cause an immune
system response
• Light-weight
• Not soluble
• Any valid point

• Measure the time taken for the wax to drop off each ruler

• The wax on the material with the highest thermal conductivity/

material that is the best thermal conductor takes the shortest time

Metal

• Will not break easily

• Can bend without breaking easily
• Flexible
• Can be easily shaped into a ruler
• Durable
• Any valid point
• Lightweight
• High melting point
• Strong
• Low thermal conductivity
• Any three valid points

• Lightweight: need less fuel / easier to launch into space

• High melting point: withstand high temperatures from the burning of fuels/
withstand high temperatures when travelling through the atmosphere
• Strong: withstand pressure when leaving atmosphere / withstand pressure
when launched
• Low thermal conductivity: keep the temperature inside the rocket constant
• Any valid point
• The coin leaves a mark on the piece of chalk
• The coin scratched the chalk, while the chalk does not scratch the coin
 • The coin leaves a mark on the foil
• The coin scratched the foil, while the foil does not scratch the coin

Chalk, copper foil, coin

Resistance of the substance to wear and tear, and scratches

No; Both real diamonds and fake diamonds (made from glass) that are made of cubic
zirconia and moissanite can scratch mirrors as they are harder than glass

Greater than the hardness of glass / 5.5

• Yes. The hardness of the screen of a handphone is important for

consumers so that it is scratch-resistant
• Consumers can save money from buying screen protectors OR
• No. Other physical properties such as transparency, flexibility and
strength, are also important
• The cost / environmental sustainability of materials should be
considered
• 10 g slotted mass. It is closest to the mass of the plastic container

• 20 g slotted mass. It is closest to the mass of the plastic container

• Any valid point

Touch
 • Higher accuracy
• Water could splash out if the stone was not lowered using a string, so the
measured volume would be lower than the actual volume

• Yes;
• Just like an irregular-shaped object, a regular-shaped object displaces a
volume of liquid equal to its volume

• Immerse sinker (e.g., a pebble) into a measuring cylinder containing water. Read
the volume of water + sinker (V1)
• Tie sinker to cork and submerge into same volume of water in the measuring
cylinder. Read the volume of water + sinker + cork (V2)
• Volume of cork = V2 – V1
• Accept any other valid ways
 Note: Students to use values from Table 2.6 and correctly calculate the
estimated volume.

Vol_est = PI* (d_est/2)^2 * h_est

Note: Students to use values from Table 2.6 and correctly calculate the
estimated volume.

Vol = PI* (d_ave/2)^2 * h_ave

• Yes, walls of the container are thick and may affect the calculation
significantly; OR
• No, walls of the container are thin and do not affect the calculation
significantly

• Yes - I used a frame of reference when estimating

• No - I could have used a frame of reference when estimating, such as using a

pen / pencil case / handphone / palm
 D

Density is the amount of substance present in a unit volume.

i.e., mass per unit volume

When mass increases, density increases when volume is kept constant

When volume increases, density decreases when mass is kept constant

Note: You
may remind
students to
read
measurement
at eye level to
avoid parallax
error.
 • Higher accuracy
• Water could splash out if the stone was not lowered using a string, so the measured
volume would be lower than the actual volume

• Yes;
• Just like an irregular-shaped object, a regular-shaped object displaces a volume
of liquid equal to its volume

• Immerse sinker (e.g., a pebble) into a measuring cylinder containing water.

Read the volume of water + sinker (V1)
• Tie sinker to cork and submerge into same volume of water in the measuring
cylinder. Read the volume of water + sinker + cork (V2)
• Volume of cork = V2 – V1
• Accept any other valid ways
• Some objects sink as their overall densities are higher than that of water

• Some objects float as their overall densities are lower than that of water

higher

lower

• The salt concentration of the water in the Dead Sea is higher than that of sea
water, hence the water in the Dead Sea has a high density than sea water

• The human body is less dense compared to the water in the Dead Sea
 • As the salt gradually dissolved in the water, the mass of the liquid gradually increased
• The density of the liquid increased
• The density of the solution increased and became higher than the egg’s density

• The helium balloon floats as the density of helium is lower than that of air
• The carbon dioxide balloon sinks as the density of carbon dioxide is higher than
that of air

With knowledge of density, I can predict if an object will sink or float. I

can determine the type of material when I know the density.
• Mass of water = 50 g
• Volume of water = 50 cm3
• Density of water = 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 = 50 𝑔50 𝑐𝑚3 = 1 g cm−3
Volume of stone = 70 cm3 − 40 cm3 = 30 cm3

Density of stone = 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠/𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 = 69 𝑔30 𝑐𝑚3 = 2.3 g cm−3

• Volume of cube = length × width × height = 2 cm × 2 cm × 2 cm = 8 cm3

• Density = 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠/𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 = 100 g / 8 cm3 = 12.5 g/cm3

• No
• The density of the cube (12.5 g/cm3) is different from the density of
gold (19.3 g/cm3)

• Yes
• Density is unique to each substance
• Density acts as a reference to help us find the identity of the unknown substance
 • Food packaging • Food scraps
• Plastic • Any valid point

• Buy food without packaging;

• Recycle
• Any valid point
 • Waterproof
• Relatively high melting point (suitable for hot and cold food)
• Can be shaped into a container
• Any valid point

• Can be reused
• Biodegradable
• Can be recycled
• Can be upcycled (to be made into other useable products)
• Reduced amount of waste generated in the process of making the product
• Reduced emission of greenhouse gases in the process of producing and
transporting the product
• Any valid points

The diversity of materials among household products offers us many usages and
applications. Based on the physical properties, we can make informed choices to
use materials responsibly and sustainably.
• Use a pair of digital calipers to measure the diameter of the float ball
• Obtain the volume using the formula V = 4/3πr3
• OR Use the displacement method with the aid of a sinker
 1730

5.0

900

0.9

• Plastic

• The density of plastic is lower than that of water, thus it can float on water

• Cheap/economical for production;

• Easily available;
• Waterproof;
• Any valid point

remove
option C as it
is similar to
option B

• Material A. A is very strong, thus it can withstand the force when in use. A is
flexible which is required to make the valve as the valve will close and open
often.
OR
• Material D. D is strong and flexible, which is required to make the valve as
the valve will close and open often.
• Install a dual flush system
• Fully submerge an object into the tank. The larger the volume of the object, the
lesser the volume of water released in each flush. The object takes up space in the
tank, reducing the volume of water needed to fill the tank
• Any valid point
Digital calipers

Volume

Density = 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 / 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 = 119 g / 4.86 cm3 = 24.5 g/cm3

• It will sink
• The density of the washer is higher than that of water
• Marine animals may get choked as they mistake plastic straws and other
plastic items for food
• Ocean will be polluted as plastic straws are non-biodegradable
• Ocean will look messy and dirty as plastic straws will float on sea water
Advantage: Paper straws can be recycled. / Paper straws do not produce harmful
products when burnt during disposal;

Disadvantage: Paper straws soften on prolonged drinking. / Paper straws are not
tasteless

Metal has high thermal conductivity/ is a good thermal conductor, so the

thermal energy from the hot drink is transferred to the metal straw quickly. If
the user touches the heated straw, he can get burnt

• A bamboo straw, because it can be recycled and is cheaper than a metal straw
• Any valid point