Questions: Properties of Solids

Question 1

Which property makes a diamond useful for cutting glass?

• A. Its color — diamonds are clear like glass
• B. Its hardness — diamond is harder than glass and can scratch it
• C. Its size — diamonds are small enough to fit on a cutting tool
• D. Its weight — diamonds are heavy enough to press through glass

Answer: (B)

Diamond is the hardest natural material. Because it is harder than glass, it can scratch and cut glass. Color, size, and weight are real properties of diamonds, but they are not the reason diamonds can cut glass.

Question 2

A rubber band is not a solid because you can stretch it into a different shape.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: False

False. A rubber band is absolutely a solid. Solids can be flexible — they bend, twist, or stretch — and still be solids. The key test is that a rubber band does not flow to fill a container the way a liquid would. It keeps a definite shape on its own.

Question 3

Name two properties you could use to describe a wooden block.

Model answer: Possible answers include: hard, rough or smooth texture, rectangular shape, brown color, lightweight, rigid (does not bend easily), opaque (you cannot see through it).

Solids have many observable properties. For a wooden block, you might notice its hardness (it does not dent easily), its texture (smooth if sanded, rough if unfinished), its color, and its rigidity. Any two accurate, observable properties count.