Materials And Their Classification Bases on Properties

What is a Material?

Let us define a material, a material is a broad term for a chemical substance or mixture of substances that constitute a thing. Most of the materials which we see in our daily life are different from each other. They differ from each other on the basis of different properties such as hardness, transparency, and appearance.

Classification Of Materials

Let us discuss the classification based on their physical properties:

Appearance:

Materials can be differentiated from each other on the basis of their looks. Some like diamond and gold are shiny in nature i.e. lustrous. Whereas some other materials like graphite and wood do not appear shiny and are generally known as non-lustrous materials. Objects like iron, gold, and copper which are lustrous in nature are often considered as metals.

Hardness:

While washing utensils, we observe that the sponge can be compressed to some extent whereas the utensils are generally incompressible. Similarly, there will be materials like chalk that can be scratched easily whereas others like aluminium cannot be scratched. Materials that can be compressed or scratched easily are referred to as easy substances. Whereas materials that are difficult to scratch and compress are termed as hard substances.

Transparency:

You might have played hide-and-seek game numerous times in your childhood days. In this game, we always try to hide so that no one can see us. We generally hide behind the back of objects like sofa and wall. These objects are preferred as one cannot see through these objects. These objects are known as opaque objects for example tree, iron sheet etc. Whereas, material through which we can clearly see the objects are known as transparent objects. For example glass etc. Materials through which objects are partially visible are known as a translucent object. For example oily patch paper.

Objects can also be differentiated on the basis of several other properties like magnetic properties, solubility etc. To know more about these properties, download BYJUS- the learning app.