4.

THE PROPERTIES OF PLASTICS

ACTIVITY 1 1. Plastics do not usually conduct electricity. Think of as many different ways in which this property is used in the home or at work. This property is used in pens, plates of plastics, clothes, toys, DVDs, mobile phones 2. A lot of the plastics used to package foods are transparent. How might this increase food safety? They help to preserve the food during more time. 3. Plastics are widely used in hospitals. Look at this picture. What are the particular advantages of using plastics in this way? Think of the advantages that cheapness of production brings. The objects are cleaner and hygienic. 4. Plastics are likely to be safer than glass because they do not break, and safer than steel because they do not rust and are less likely to have jagged edges. Can you think of objects made from plastics which might pose a hazard to people or animals if not disposed of sensibly? The carrier bags can be dangerous for the persons and the animals.

5. Some plastics can withstand very high temperatures, why might this be useful? Because you can mold them and it is possible to return to use. 6. Some plastics are waterproof and resistant to attack by chemicals. Think of ways in which these properties are useful to us. In wheels, screws, pieces of machines, tool and domestic utensils

ACTIVITY 2
1. Around 30-50% of food produced in developing countries is wasted before it reaches the consumer, whereas in western Europe this figure is only 2-3%. Modern plastics packaging plays a part in this. What other factors might be responsible for this wide difference? A factor that may be responsible for this large difference is transportation, infrastructure, food packaging and the distribution system of food.

2. Look around at home in the kitchen or bathroom-or in a supermarket. Find as many different ways as you can in which plastics add to the safe use of other things. Some of the different forms are vacum packaging, freezing, or a plastic bottle of some cleaning products or for bathroom products. 3. By weight, plastics account for about 50% of the packaging of food sold in supermarkets, yet only 17% of packaging waste by weight is plastics. Look at these pictures and think of the food you buy yourselves. Make a list of different types of packaging for food. Think in particular of examples or how shape is used as a means of protection. I think that I would yogurts as its plastics container that isnt bad for the yogurt, too could be milk caus also are some plastics, especially the sausage goes in plastics because the sausage has a good preservation, and shampoo are in a bottle of plastic because with the bottle is more easy to use it, as well as cleaning products soaps and some cookies are also in plastics too, or fruit; well this is also a small shopping list, but if we start to look more we can find very mawy more fruit.

4. Expanded polystyrene is an alternative to corrugated cardboard as a protective packaging material. Design an investigation to compare the effectiveness of the protection offered by the two materials against penetration by a sharp object such as a screwdriver. You will need to think of the quantity of each material used to provide a fair comparison. Discuss your ideas before you begin the investigation. I think that the polystyrene is hard and is good for the transports of fragile material and other types of materials too and is more complete than the corrugated board, for we would have to use less for it whereas if corrugated use, would be much more difficult to break, but we have to put many layers corrugated board and corrugated board would spend more, well, polystyrene is better because it is good for the consumer because they would have to spend less and also that besides that is a hard. 5. Bubble-wrap is widely used to protect delicate objects such as crockery. Just how effective is it? How much protection can it give to an egg? Design an investigation which compares the amount of protection given to the shell of a hard-boiled egg as the amount of bubble-wrap used changes. Begin by thinking of ways in which you can carry out the investigation. The good thing of this material is that when the product is involved in this material, if cheeped dropped or if there is a hit,

the product isnt broken, that happens is that some bubbles break, and the product is good.

ACTIVITY 3
1. Suggest why using bottles made from plastics on jet aircraft can save up to &6000 per year on the cost of running an aircraft. Because this plastic can recycle and return to use. 2. What else might you need to know about the plastic bottles before you could say whether the real saving was &6000? Explain how it might be more or less than this figure. That are easily moldeables with heat and pressure. 3. When faced with a choice of using plastic or paper bags which do you chose? Why? What does it depend on? Make a list of the advantages of both paper and plastic bags for holding fruit and vegetables. The plastic bags because I can return to use. Of the use that you are going to give him. Advantages: Plastic bags: it can recycle and it doesnt break. Paper bags: it can recycle.

4. Compare the masses of plastic and paper bags which are used to carry fruit and vegetables. First of all decide how you will ensure that your test is a fair one. The paper bags can recycle but they are of using and throwing and break easily and the plastic bags can recycle and doesnt break easily but they cause environmental problems. 5. Looking at your results, discuss what the impact would be on the mass of packaging used if we had use paper bags all the time. Would diminish the number of trees, would diminish the oxygen and would increase the pollution. 6. Compare a soft drink carried in a plastic, glass, metal, and card container. Measure the masses of the total package and the masses of the liquids they contain. Make a chart showing the percentage of the total mass which is taken up by the packaging material. The card would not serve because all the liquid would leave, the plastic is more manageable because it weighs less, the glass supports it in mint condition thought it weighs more and the metal would not be adapted because it gives him to the drink a rare flavor. Liquid:1 litre Masse of plastic: 010 kile-5% Masse of glass: 1 kile-50% Masse of metal: 05 kile-25% Masse of card: 025 kile-17%

7. Compare a one-litre drink packed in glass and one packed in plastics. Make a list of the differences in the use of energy as it moves: From the factory to warehouse to storage in the shop From storage in the shop to the shelves From shelves to checkout to home and storage It would save itself more in a packing of plastic because it weighs less, what he carries less effort, it is more hygienic and can recycle. 8. Now do the same but compare metal and card drinks packaging with plastics. Are these likely to be similar to glass or plastics? Why? I might not use the card because all the liquid would leave and would be better plastic uses before that metal because the metal weighs very much and it gives him a rare flavor to the drink. No, because they arent done by the same composition. 9. Compare the four materials again. Think of other advantages and disadvantages of each one. Advantages of glass: It can recycle, its innocuous, it gives visibility and it has variety of forms. Disadvantages of glass: Its heavy, he doesnt support thermal shocks and high cost. Advantages of plastic: It has variety of forms, unbreakable and its impermeable.

Disadvantages of plastic: It doesnt support high temperatures and it concerns the environment. Advantages of metal: It can recycle and its resistant. Disadvantages of metal: It corrode and it isnt transparent. Advantages of card: It can recycle, its economic and ligh. Disadvantages of card: It isnt resistant and it need other materials to preserve the aliment.

10. Now summarise the advantages and disadvantages of using plastics as containers. Think of energy savings, the amount of raw materials needed, other environmental issues such as pollution and waste, and the impact on our lives.

Advantages: It has variety of forms, unbreakable and its impermeable. Disadvantages: It doesnt support high temperatures and it concerns the environment. The plastic residues would suppose a saving of 1000 million of euros. They would contaminate the planet.