Chemistry of Materials Key Science Vocab

Question 1

Particular characteristics of a material such as the material’s density, melting point, or color. A change in volume of the material does not change its properties.

Answer 1

Property

Question 2

A desirable outcome given up to gain another desirable outcome.

Answer 2

Trade-Off

Question 3

Information that supports or refutes a claim.

Answer 3

Evidence

Question 4

A type of solid matter used to make things.

Answer 4

Material

Question 5

The basic building block of matter.

Answer 5

Atom

Question 6

To mix into another substance at the scale of individual particles (atoms or molecules).

Answer 6

Dissolve

Question 7

The simplest pure substances.

Answer 7

Element

Question 8

The flexibility of a Material

Answer 8

Malleability

Question 9

The stuff that makes up all living and nonliving objects.

Answer 9

Matter

Question 10

A property that can be identified, observed, or measured and does not rely on testing if the material reacts with another substance (e.g., color). See property.

Answer 10

Physical Property

Question 11

The ability of a substance to dissolve in another substance.

Answer 11

Solubility

Question 12

The physical form of matter—solid, liquid, or gas.

Answer 12

State

Question 13

Describes how a material reacts with another substance (e.g. reactivity with acid). See property

Answer 13

Chemical Property

Question 14

A substance made from more than one element joined by a chemical bond.

Answer 14

Compound

Question 15

Mass of a substance per unit of volume

Answer 15

Density

Question 16

The amount of matter in an object.

Answer 16

Mass

Question 17

The amount of space that an object or substance occupies.

Answer 17

Volume

Question 18

Favoring one thing over another in an unfair way.

Answer 18

Bias

Question 19

The phases in the existence of a product, including what is needed to make the product, how it will be made, and what will happen to the product when it is no longer being used.

Answer 19

Life Cycle

Question 20

An illustration showing all stages of a life cycle.

Answer 20

Life Cycle Diagram

Question 21

Two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds.

Answer 21

Molecule

Question 22

The ratio of the size of a real object and a model, map, diagram, or other representation of the object.

Answer 22

Scale

Question 23

A varied number of one or more kinds of atom bonded together to form a large network.

Answer 23

Extended Structure

Question 24

Small structures that make up all matter.

Answer 24

Particles

Question 25

The energy an object has because of its motion.

Answer 25

Kinetic Energy

Question 26

The total energy of motion of the particles in a sample of a substance.

Answer 26

Thermal Energy

Question 27

A single molecular subunit.

Answer 27

Monomer

Question 28

Compounds made of long chains of smaller repeating molecular subunits.

Answer 28

Polymer

Question 29

A group of polymer chains that are linked together by small molecules to form a larger structure.

Answer 29

Cross-Linked Polymer