5th Grade Science
Physical and Chemical Changes
Unit 5
Physical and Chemical Changes
Physical vs. Chemical
Change! It happens all around us every single day, but have you ever stopped to wonder if that change is physical or chemical? Everything around us can change physically or chemically, and in this unit, we discover how to identify the different changes and take a dip into the world of chemistry.
What's The Matter?
Before we dive into changes, it's important to know and review matter! Matter can be too small to see, but it still exists, and is all around us. Check out these videos to learn more! To test your knowledge, play this game!
Physical Change
The key thing to understand when learning about physical changes is that physical changes do not make a new substance. The definition of physical change is a change in the shape or appearance of an object, like crumpling a piece of paper, or cutting, bending, or dissolving something. Physical changes also happen when matter changes states.
Check out the video to your right to get a deeper understanding of physical changes!
Chemical Change
With chemical changes, a key thing to remember is that chemical changes make new substances. Anytime a new substance is made, a chemical change takes place. Usually two or more materials are combined and a new substance is formed.
Check out the video to your left to get a deeper understanding of chemical changes!
How Do We Compare Them?
Alright, now that we know what physical and chemical changes are separately, let's compare them. Start with this video, which gives you a great idea of how we compare the two types of changes.
Melting
When a solid turns into a liquid it is called melting. The temperature at which this happens called the melting point. As the energy in the molecules increases from a rise in temperature, the molecules start moving faster. Then, the matter becomes a liquid! It's like magic -- or science.
Freezing
When the opposite happens and a liquid turns into a solid, it is called freezing. The temperature at which this happens called the freezing point. The energy in the molecules decreases from a drop in temperature and the molecules start to slow down, clumping up together. You see this happen when you freeze water!
Do You Think This is a Physical Change or a Chemical Change?
Correct Answer: Freezing and melting are both physical changes! Do you know why? Try to think about this one on your own and keep it in mind for future discussions.
Hint: The answer may be somewhere on this page!
Time for some labs! Check these out, and make sure to watch them all the way. They have very important information that is very useful in understanding this unit!
Feel Confident About This?
Check this game out! It's a jeopardy game for physical and chemical changes. Make sure you've watched all videos and reviewed this page thoroughly so you can do well on this game!
https://jeopardylabs.com/play/physical-and-chemical-properties-and-changes
Think you got it all down? Try this Quizizz! Remember, try as many times until you get your highest score, and come back to this page if you feel unsure about any topic.