Question

What will happen if....? And why ?
(a) Nails are made of plastic.
(b) A bell is made of wood.
(c) Rubber is not fitted on a pair of tongs.
(d) A knife is made of wood.
(e) An axe is made of rubber.

Answer 1

a. If nails are made out of plastic, they cannot be used for its usual purposes. They could not be hammered like iron nails and ould not possess the strength which iron nails have. It means they would have no strength to hold the things together.

b. If a bell is made of wood, it will not ring. The bells are made up of metals like copper etc. as they show the property of sonority i.e. the ability to produce a ringing sound when striked upon. Wood does not have this property and hence cannot be used to make bells.

c. Tongs are made up of metals and they have the ability to conduct heat. If rubber is attached to the tongs, the heat will be transfered to the rubber and it will melt off.

d. Knife is used to cut vegetables, fruits etc. The regular knifes which we use are made up of metals like iron etc. as they are hard, strong and durable. Also they can be sharpened and moulded into shapes which we desire. Knifes made out of wood cannot be used for cutting or chopping purposes.

e. An axe is used to cut and chop wood. It is made up of metals beacause they are stong, hard and durable. Also they can be moulded and sharpened which is an important characteristic. These properties are not applicable to rubber. An axe made of rubber will neither be hard nor sharp enough so that it can be used for its usual purposes.