Class 6 Science Chapter 6 Materials Around Us – easy notes, concepts, NCERT book solutions, important questions, worksheet and answers. Learn about different materials, their properties, uses, classification and how materials are selected for different purposes in simple language.

Class 6 Science

Chapter 6: Materials Around Us

Easy Notes • Important Concepts • Textbook Questions & Solutions

Chapter at a Glance

Everything around us is made of different materials. Materials have different properties such as lustre, hardness, transparency, solubility, mass and volume. We classify materials according to these properties and choose materials according to their use.

1. Observing Objects Around Us

What is a material?

Any substance that is used to create an object is called a material.

Examples: paper, wood, cloth, glass, metal, plastic and clay.

Activity 6.1: Let us identify

Question: Make a list of objects you see around and also write the names of the materials they are made up of in Table 6.1.

I observe	Materials they are made up of
Notebook	Paper
Chair	Wood / Plastic
Water bottle	Plastic / Steel
Window	Glass / Wood
Spoon	Steel / Metal

Conclusion: Objects around us are made up of different materials.

2. How to Group Materials?

Activity 6.2: Let us group

Question: Group the objects shown in Fig. 6.1 based on any common property, such as shape, colour, hardness, softness, shine, dullness or materials they are made up of.

Answer: We can group them by colour, shape, hardness, softness, shine or the material from which they are made.

Question: Which property did you use to group the objects in Activity 6.2?

I used colour and material to group the objects.

Question: Did your friends group objects based on similar properties?

Some friends used the same properties, while others used different properties.

Question: What did you learn from this activity?

I learnt that objects can be grouped in different ways according to their common properties.

Classification

The method of arranging objects into groups is called classification.

Objects can be classified on the basis of a common property.

Activity 6.3: Let us think

Question: Let us think what materials we can use to make a tumbler. Fill in the names of the materials in the spaces provided in Fig. 6.2.

Answer: Glass, steel, plastic, ceramic or other materials that can hold water can be used.

Question: What decides which material should be used for making an object?

The properties of the material and the purpose of the object decide which material should be used.

Question: Would it be a good idea to use paper-like materials for making cooking utensils?

No. Paper can burn easily and cannot safely hold hot food.

Question: Why cannot a tumbler made of cloth be used for storing water?

Cloth absorbs water and does not hold water like a container.

Activity 6.4: Let us explore

Question: Can a cricket ball be used to play tennis?

No. A cricket ball has different size, hardness and bouncing properties from a tennis ball.

Question: Why are different materials used for making balls for various sports?

Different sports need balls with different hardness, size, weight, texture and bouncing properties.

Important idea: A material is selected according to its properties and the job it has to perform.

3. What are the Different Properties of Materials?

3.1 Appearance: Lustrous and Non-lustrous

✨ Lustrous

Materials having a shiny surface are called lustrous.

Examples: freshly polished iron, copper, aluminium, gold.

◻️ Non-lustrous

Materials without a shiny surface are called non-lustrous.

Examples: paper, wood, rubber, jute.

Question: Are all lustrous materials metals?

No. Some non-metals can also look shiny because of polishing or coating.

Remember: “All that glitters is not gold.” A shiny surface does not always mean that the material is a metal.

3.2 Which materials are hard?

Hard

Difficult to compress or scratch easily.

Examples: iron, stone.

Soft

Can be compressed or scratched easily.

Examples: sponge, chalk.

Important: Hardness is relative. Rubber is harder than sponge but softer than iron.

Activity 6.5: Let us observe

Question: Hold the objects given in Table 6.3 with your hands. Feel whether the objects are hard or soft. Find out the materials they are made up of. Enter your observations in Table 6.3.

Object	Hard/Soft	Material(s)
Brick	Hard	Baked clay
Water bottle	Hard	Plastic / Steel
Pillow	Soft	Cloth and filling
Tumbler	Hard	Glass / Steel / Plastic
Table	Hard	Wood / Metal / Plastic
Sweater	Soft	Wool / Yarn
Any other	Varies	Varies

Question: Compare your observations with the observations of your friends and discuss.

Different objects may feel different because their materials and properties are different.

3.3 Explore materials through which one can see or cannot see

Transparent

Things can be seen clearly through it.

Examples: clear glass, water, air.

Translucent

Things can be seen, but not clearly.

Examples: frosted glass, butter paper.

Opaque

Things cannot be seen through it.

Examples: wood, cardboard, metals.

Question: Why did Ghulan, Sheeta and Sara choose these places to hide?

They chose places where they could not be seen clearly through the material in front of them.

Question: Do you think it would be possible for Sheeta’s brother to see her and her friends through a closed wooden window of the house?

No. Wood is opaque, so he cannot see through it.

Question: Look at Fig. 6.5. Identify and label the nature of materials used by Ghulan (A), Sheeta (B), Sara (C) and Sheeta’s brother (D).

A: Opaque B: Opaque C: Translucent D: Transparent

Activity 6.6: Let us classify

Question: Classify the following objects as transparent, translucent or opaque in Table 6.4.

Transparent	Translucent	Opaque
Glass tumbler Window glass	Butter paper Frosted glass	Eraser Wooden board

Question: Is water transparent?

Yes. Clean water is transparent.

Question: Can it be made opaque?

Yes. Water can appear opaque when suitable substances are mixed into it, making it unable to transmit clear light.

3.4 What is soluble in water; what is not?

Soluble

A material that dissolves completely in water.

Examples: sugar, salt.

Insoluble

A material that does not dissolve completely in water.

Examples: sand, sawdust, chalk powder.

Question: Does everything you put in water disappear?

No. Some materials dissolve, while others remain undissolved.

Activity 6.7: Let us explore

Material	Prediction	Observation
Sugar	Will disappear	Disappears in water
Salt	Will disappear	Disappears in water
Chalk powder	Will not disappear	Does not completely disappear
Sand	Will not disappear	Does not disappear
Sawdust	Will not disappear	Does not disappear
Any other	Depends	Depends on material

Question: Do liquids like oil, vinegar and honey dissolve in water? Explore.

Vinegar mixes with water. Oil does not mix and forms a separate layer. Honey mixes with water, though it may take stirring.

Question: What about the gases present in water?

Some gases dissolve in water. For example, oxygen dissolves in water and is important for aquatic life.

Make your own ORS!

The textbook explains that ORS is used to treat dehydration. A ready-made ORS packet is dissolved in the stated amount of water according to its instructions. The chapter also describes a home preparation using sugar, salt and boiled and cooled water.

3.5 How heavy or light?

Activity 6.8: Let us measure

Question: Predict which one would be heavier and which one would be lighter?

For equal volumes, pebbles are expected to be heavier than sand, and water is expected to be lighter than pebbles.

Concept: Mass tells us how much matter an object contains. An object with more mass is heavier; one with less mass is lighter.

3.6 Space and volume

Question: Why is the level of water different in the two tumblers?

The amount of water in the two tumblers is different. Therefore, the water occupies different amounts of space.

Volume: The space occupied by matter is called its volume.

Question: Why was I not able to transfer water from the jug into an empty water bottle completely?

Because the water bottle has a limited capacity. Once it is full, no more water can enter.

4. What is Matter?

Definition

Anything that occupies space and has mass is called matter.

Mass

It tells us the quantity of matter.

Units: gram (g), kilogram (kg).

Volume

It tells us the space occupied by matter.

Units: litre (L), millilitre (mL).

Important units:
1 m³ = 1000 L
SI unit of mass = kilogram (kg)
SI unit of volume = cubic metre (m³)

Question: Can all the materials around us be considered as different examples of matter? Discuss with your friends.

Yes. Materials such as water, sand, pebbles and the cup are examples of matter because they have mass and occupy space.

Question: Is air matter?

Yes. Air has mass and occupies space, so it is matter.

Question: Can you think about what changes the invention of plastic brought to humans? Think it over!

Plastic made many products light, strong, cheap and waterproof. However, plastic waste can cause pollution, so it should be used carefully and recycled when possible.

Question: Is it a boon or a bane?

Plastic can be both useful and harmful. Its benefits and environmental problems depend on how it is produced, used and disposed of.

5. Quick Concepts to Remember

Property / Term	Easy Meaning	Examples
Material	Substance used to make an object	Wood, plastic, glass
Classification	Arranging objects into groups	Grouping by colour
Lustrous	Shiny	Polished metal
Non-lustrous	Not shiny	Wood, paper
Hard	Difficult to compress or scratch	Iron, stone
Soft	Easy to compress or scratch	Sponge, chalk
Transparent	Can see clearly through it	Clear glass
Translucent	Can see through it, but not clearly	Frosted glass
Opaque	Cannot see through it	Wood
Soluble	Dissolves in water	Salt, sugar
Insoluble	Does not dissolve in water	Sand, sawdust
Mass	Quantity of matter	kg, g
Volume	Space occupied	L, mL, m³
Matter	Has mass and occupies space	Air, water, stone

6. Summary

Objects are made from different materials.
An object may contain one material or many materials.
Materials are selected according to their properties and uses.
Classification means arranging objects into groups.
Materials may be lustrous or non-lustrous.
Materials may be hard or soft.
Materials may be transparent, translucent or opaque.
Some materials are soluble in water and others are insoluble.
Mass tells us the quantity of matter.
Volume tells us the space occupied by matter.
Anything that occupies space and has mass is matter.

7. Let Us Play

1. Find the companion.

Question: Link the following words by putting arrows between words that have a connection.

Iron → Lustrous

Glass → Transparent

Wood → Opaque

Water → Volume

Copper → Lustrous

Plastic → Material

2. Win the ‘Word-hub’

Question: The following words from the chapter like lustrous, non-lustrous, soluble, insoluble, hard, soft, matter, mass, transparent, opaque, volume and translucent are picked up.

Solution: Choose any nine words from the list and write them in a 3 × 3 grid. When a word or its definition is called out, tick it. The first learner to tick all nine correctly wins.

8. Let Us Enhance Our Learning – Textbook Solutions

Question 1. Kitchen sorting

1. Visit your kitchen and observe how your parents have organised various edibles. Can you suggest a better sorting method? Write it in your notebook.

Answer: We can sort food items into groups such as grains, pulses, spices, snacks and cooking ingredients. This makes them easy to find.

Question 2. Unscramble and match

2. Unscramble the letters (Column I) and match with their properties (Column II).

Column I	Column II
(i) T R E M A T	(a) Objects can be seen clearly through it
(ii) U L S B E L O	(b) Occupies space and has mass
(iii) T N E R P A S N A R T	(c) Shiny surface
(iv) E R U S T L	(d) Mixes completely in water

Solution:
(i) T R E M A T = MATTER → (b)
(ii) U L S B E L O = SOLUBLE → (d)
(iii) T N E R P A S N A R T = TRANSPARENT → (a)
(iv) E R U S T L = LUSTRE → (c)

Question 3. Transparent containers

3. The containers which are used to store materials in shops and at home are usually transparent. Give your reasons for this.

Answer: Transparent containers allow us to see the material inside easily. We can identify the contents and know how much is left.

Question 4. True or False

4. State whether the statements given below are True [T] or False [F]. Correct the False statement(s).

Wood is translucent while glass is opaque. [ ]
Aluminium foil has lustre while an eraser does not. [ ]
Sugar dissolves in water whereas sawdust does not. [ ]
An apple is a matter because it occupies no space and has mass. [ ]

Answers:
(i) False [F] — Wood is opaque while clear glass is transparent.
(ii) True [T] — Aluminium foil is lustrous; an eraser is generally non-lustrous.
(iii) True [T] — Sugar is soluble in water; sawdust is insoluble.
(iv) False [F] — An apple is matter because it occupies space and has mass.

Question 5. Materials for chairs

5. We see chairs made up of various materials, such as wood, iron, plastic, bamboo, cement and stones. Following are some desirable properties of materials which can be used to make chairs. Which materials used to make chairs fulfil these properties the most?

Hardness (does not bend or shake on sitting even after long use).
Lightweight (easy to lift or to take from one place to another).
Does not feel very cold when sitting during winters.
Can be cleaned regularly and made to look new even after long use.

Answer:
(i) Iron or strong wood — hard and strong.
(ii) Plastic or bamboo — generally lighter than iron, cement or stone.
(iii) Wood or plastic — generally does not feel as cold as metal in winter.
(iv) Plastic or polished metal — easy to clean and maintain.

Question 6. Containers for different waste

6. You need to have containers for collection of: (i) food waste, (ii) broken glass and (iii) wastepaper. Which materials will you choose for containers of these types of waste? What properties of materials do you need to think of?

Answer:
(i) Food waste — plastic or metal container; should be strong, washable and leak-resistant.
(ii) Broken glass — strong metal or thick rigid container; should be hard and safe from sharp pieces.
(iii) Wastepaper — cardboard or plastic container; should be light and easy to handle.
Properties to consider include hardness, strength, weight, durability and ease of cleaning.

Question 7. Air and wooden door

7. Air is all around us but does not hinder us from seeing each other. Whereas, if a wooden door comes in between, we cannot see each other. It is because air is and the wooden door is . Choose the most appropriate option:

transparent, opaque
translucent, transparent
opaque, translucent
transparent, translucent

Answer: (i) transparent, opaque

Question 8. Mysterious materials X and Y

8. Imagine you have two mysterious materials, X and Y. When you try to press material X, it feels rigid and does not change its shape easily. On the other hand, material Y easily changes its shape when you press it. Now, when you mix both materials in water, only material X dissolves completely, while material Y remains unchanged. What can materials X and Y be? Can you identify whether material X is hard or soft? What about material Y? Justify your answer.

Answer: X could be a hard, soluble material such as salt. Y could be a soft, insoluble material such as sawdust.
X is hard because it does not change shape easily when pressed. Y is soft because it changes shape easily when pressed. X dissolves in water, while Y does not.

Question 9. Who am I?

9. (i) Who am I? Identify me on the basis of the given properties.

I have lustre.
I can be easily compressed.
I am hard and soluble in water.
You cannot see clearly through me.
I have mass and volume but you cannot see me.

Answers:
(a) Metal
(b) Soft material
(c) Salt
(d) Translucent material
(e) Air

(ii) Make your own ‘Who am I?’

Example: I am shiny. I am hard. I can conduct heat and electricity. Who am I?
Answer: Metal.

Question 10. Soluble and insoluble pairs

10. You are provided with the following materials—vinegar, honey, mustard oil, water, glucose and wheat flour. Make any two pairs of materials where one material is soluble in the other. Now, make two pairs of materials where one material remains insoluble in the other material.

Soluble pairs:
1. Vinegar + water
2. Glucose + water

Insoluble pairs:
1. Mustard oil + water
2. Wheat flour + water

9. Learning Further – Suggested Answers / Activities

Activity: Recyclable materials

Materials commonly recycled include paper, cardboard, glass, many metals and some types of plastic. Recycling depends on the material and local collection system.

Recycler Survey

Question: Conduct a survey with recyclers near you and find out what properties of materials do they check before buying objects from households. Which materials do they not buy and why?

Sample answer: Recyclers may check the type of material, weight, purity, condition and whether it can be recycled or sold. Some mixed, contaminated or difficult-to-recycle materials may not be accepted.

Household Classification Activity

Question: Collect 20–30 objects from your household and classify them based on the properties of the materials they are made up of. Were you able to put them in separate groups? What relationship do you see between the properties of the materials and the use of the objects?

Sample answer: Yes. Objects can be grouped as hard/soft, lustrous/non-lustrous, transparent/translucent/opaque and soluble/insoluble where applicable. The properties of a material help decide how the object is used.

Creative Activity

Question: Create and decorate a useful object of your choice using discarded materials and bring it to the class. Discuss with your friends what they have made and the materials they have used. Additionally, provide constructive feedback on areas for improvement, considering functionality and any other points.

Sample idea: Make a pen stand from an empty cardboard box or used container. Decorate it with paper scraps. Check that it is strong, stable, useful and safe.

10. Quick Revision Questions

Q1. What is a material?

A substance used to make an object.

Q2. What is classification?

Arranging objects into groups based on common properties.

Q3. What is lustre?

Shiny appearance of a material.

Q4. What is transparency?

The ability to see clearly through a material.

Q5. What is solubility?

The ability of a material to dissolve in a liquid.

Q6. What is mass?

The quantity of matter in an object.

Q7. What is volume?

The space occupied by matter.

Q8. What is matter?

Anything that has mass and occupies space.

11. One-Page Memory Map

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Class 6 Science Chapter 6, Materials Around Us, Class 6 Science notes, Class 6 Science solutions, NCERT Class 6 Science Chapter 6, Class 6 Science worksheet, materials and their properties, classification of materials, uses of materials, Class 6 Science questions and answers.

Class 6 Science Chapter 6 – Materials Around Us | Notes, Solutions & Worksheet

Class 6 Science

1. Observing Objects Around Us

What is a material?

Activity 6.1: Let us identify

2. How to Group Materials?

Activity 6.2: Let us group

Classification

Activity 6.3: Let us think

Activity 6.4: Let us explore

3. What are the Different Properties of Materials?

3.1 Appearance: Lustrous and Non-lustrous

3.2 Which materials are hard?

Activity 6.5: Let us observe

3.3 Explore materials through which one can see or cannot see

Activity 6.6: Let us classify

3.4 What is soluble in water; what is not?

Activity 6.7: Let us explore

Make your own ORS!

3.5 How heavy or light?

Activity 6.8: Let us measure

3.6 Space and volume

4. What is Matter?

Definition

5. Quick Concepts to Remember

6. Summary

7. Let Us Play

1. Find the companion.

2. Win the ‘Word-hub’

8. Let Us Enhance Our Learning – Textbook Solutions

Question 1. Kitchen sorting

Question 2. Unscramble and match

Question 3. Transparent containers

Question 4. True or False

Question 5. Materials for chairs

Question 6. Containers for different waste

Question 7. Air and wooden door

Question 8. Mysterious materials X and Y

Question 9. Who am I?

Question 10. Soluble and insoluble pairs

9. Learning Further – Suggested Answers / Activities

Activity: Recyclable materials

Recycler Survey

Household Classification Activity

Creative Activity

10. Quick Revision Questions

11. One-Page Memory Map

Class 6 Science Chapter 6 Worksheet