Middle School Physical Science › Compare and contrast synthetic materials and natural resources
Certain types of metals, like gold, are both naturally occurring and can be created in a lab. (This process is not used often because it is expensive and not efficient!) This tells us what about metals like gold?
gold is only a synthetic material
gold is only a natural resource
gold is a natural resource that can sometimes be synthetic
gold is not a natural resource or a synthetic material
The answer is "Gold is a natural resource that can sometimes be synthetic." Some substances can be either natural or synthetic and it depends on how the substance was made.
Which answer choice best defines a synthetic material?
Synthetic materials do not naturally occur in the world, but are man-made and can be created through chemical reactions.
Synthetic materials occur naturally in the world.
Synthetic materials are nonrenewable resources.
Synthetic materials are renewable resources.
Synthetic materials are not naturally occurring in the world. They are man-made.
Which answer choice is NOT an example of a synthetic substance?
water
medicine
glass
fibers
The answer is water. Water exists naturally in the environment, therefore it is a natural resource.
True or False: The good news about synthetic materials, like plastic, is that we can always make more, no matter how much we need.
False. Even though we can make more synthetic materials like plastic, they are made from natural resources which sometimes take a long time for the Earth to make more of.
False. We cannot make more synthetic materials.
True. We can make as many plastics as we need with the power of chemical reactions.
True. We can make as many synthetic materials and natural resources as we need.
The answer is "False. Even though we can make more synthetic materials like plastic, they are made from natural resources which sometimes take a long time for the Earth to make more of."
Plastics are made from natural materials such as cellulose, coal, natural gas, salt and crude oil through something called a polymerisation process. This tells us that plastics are:
synthetic materials
natural resources
toxic
safe
The answer is "synthetic materials." All synthetic materials are made from natural resources, but do not exist in the world unless they are man-made.
Synthetic materials are:
created through chemical reactions
made by the Earth naturally
always nonrenewable
bad for the environment
Synthetic materials are made by chemical reactions. They are not always bad for the environment and can be renewable. By definition, synthetic materials are man-made and not made by the Earth.
What are some benefits provided by synthetic materials?
Synthetic materials help us make medicine and pharmaceuticals.
Synthetic materials like plastics and fuel make life more convenient.
Synthetic materials help build buildings and homes.
All choices are correct
Synthetic materials provide all of these benefits.
Which answer choice is an example of a natural resource?
oil
gasoline
plastic
nylon fiber
The answer is "oil." Natural resources are resources that occur in the natural environment without being man-made.
Which answer choice is the best example of a non-renewable natural resource?
Plastics are made from natural materials such as cellulose, coal, natural gas, salt and crude oil through a polymerisation.
Salt exists naturally in the environment but can also be made in a lab.
Oil is made by the Earth over millions of years through the pressurization of organic material under Earth's crust.
Nylon fiber is made by combining chemicals in a lab.
The answer is "Oil is made by the Earth over millions of years through the pressurization of organic material under Earth's crust." This process occurs over millions of years, and is naturally occuring.
Which answer choice is NOT a natural resource?
gasoline
oil
wood
sunlight
Gasoline is not a natural resource because it is man-made.