GCSE Engineering, Materials and making. Usually met in years 9 to 11.
Learn the main groups of engineering materials, from ferrous and non-ferrous metals to polymers and composites, and the words for how they behave.
What you practise
Ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys
Thermoplastics, thermosets and composites
Properties such as toughness, ductility and fatigue
Starts with metals and plastics and builds to fatigue, creep and smart alloys. Practice moves up a level when a round goes well and down when it does not.
Sample questions
Each sample comes with the method and the reason every wrong option is wrong. Real practice rounds are ten questions at your level.
Sample question, level 2 of 5
What does ‘rust’ mean?
Concrete with steel bars set inside it so that it can also resist bending
The reddish-brown coating that forms when iron or steel corrodes
The stress at which a material stops stretching elastically and starts to deform permanently
A polymer that softens when heated and can be reshaped again and again
A strong, light metal that resists corrosion, used in aircraft and medical implants
Show the answer and method
Answer: B, The reddish-brown coating that forms when iron or steel corrodes
The method: Rust means the reddish-brown coating that forms when iron or steel corrodes.
Why the other options are wrong:
A, Concrete with steel bars set inside it so that it can also resist bending: That describes reinforced concrete.
C, The stress at which a material stops stretching elastically and starts to deform permanently: That describes yield point.
D, A polymer that softens when heated and can be reshaped again and again: That describes thermoplastic.
E, A strong, light metal that resists corrosion, used in aircraft and medical implants: That describes titanium.
Sample question, level 4 of 5
What does ‘strength-to-weight ratio’ mean?
The slow chemical attack on a material, such as rusting, by its surroundings
The ability of a material to resist scratching, wear and denting
How strong a material is compared with how heavy it is
The mass of a material for each unit of its volume
The ability of a material to resist being squashed
Show the answer and method
Answer: C, How strong a material is compared with how heavy it is
The method: Strength-to-weight ratio means how strong a material is compared with how heavy it is.
Why the other options are wrong:
A, The slow chemical attack on a material, such as rusting, by its surroundings: That describes corrosion.
B, The ability of a material to resist scratching, wear and denting: That describes hardness.
D, The mass of a material for each unit of its volume: That describes density.
E, The ability of a material to resist being squashed: That describes compressive strength.
