CAMBRIDGE NATIONALS

1. CAMBRIDGE NATIONALS

2. OCR Cambridge National in Science (Level 1/2) R071: How scientific ideas have an impact on our lives Module 3: Materials for a Purpose

3. Familiar products we use every day are made from natural resources. Natural material such as crude oil for making plastics and fibres. Rocks and ores for making building materials and metals. Even the air for making ammonia.

4. But manufacturing processes have an impact on the environment. To lessen the impact on the environment we can make our manufacturing processes more efficient. To do that we must understand the chemical reactions involved, their conditions in producing the yield and the energy needed.

5. We can also switch to products whose manufacture has less of an impact on the environment. This will require an understanding of: elements, compounds and mixtures. To do this we must understand how the molecular structure of the product gives it its properties.

6. When we search for and make new materials we need to be able to measure their properties to make sure they are fit for purpose. We could test a material’s strength, density, resistance or slump.

7. What will you learn? After completing this unit you will: Understand how materials we use are made from natural resources Understand how the properties of materials we use are determined by structure and bonding Be able to measure the properties of materials to recommend appropriate uses

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