- Describe the feel of your material.
- What happens when you stretch it?
- Try twisting it with your fingers. What happens when you twist it?
- Where does your material come from?
- How is your material processed into something useful?
- What is your material used for?
- What are your material's desirable properties?
- What are its undesirable properties?
- What synthetic materials can be used to replace your material? Why? What are some of the desirable and undesirable properties of those synthetic materials?
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Something to Play with
Today your teacher is going to give you a plastic bag, and that bag will have something inside for you to play with. You might get a ball of cotton, a clump of wool, a silkworm cocoon, or a wad of linen. Take a look at the prize in your bag. Pick it up, touch it, and feel it, and then answer some questions about your material.
Write your answers on a sheet of paper.
Something to Research
There's more for you to do with your new toy. And it is going to require a trip to the library. You will have to answer some questions concerning the contents of your plastic bag. Write your answers on the same sheet of paper you used before, and bring it to class tomorrow to hand in.
Today you are going to find answers to questions about some natural materials. A long time ago, Wallace Carothers was asking questions about these same mystery materials.