A school is building a greenhouse next to its playing field. The roof can be made from glass or from a polymer called polycarbonate.
The table shows information about the two materials.
| Property | Glass | Polycarbonate |
|---|---|---|
| Transparent | yes | yes |
| Density / g cm−3\mathrm{g\,cm^{-3}}gcm−3 | 2.5 | 1.2 |
| Breaks when hit by a ball | shatters into sharp pieces | does not break |
| Scratches easily | no | yes |
| Cost per square metre / £ | 20 | 30 |
| Light passing through after 10 years / % | 90 | 80 |
Give the property shown in the table that makes both materials suitable for a greenhouse roof.
One sheet of roofing has a volume of 4000 cm3\mathrm{cm^{3}}cm3. Calculate the mass of a glass sheet. Use the equation: mass=density×volume\text{mass} = \text{density} \times \text{volume}mass=density×volume
Compare the properties of glass and polycarbonate. Use the information in the table.
Suggest which material the school should use for the roof. Justify your answer.
Give one disadvantage of polycarbonate shown by the data.
36 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Chemistry 10.5 Bulk and surface properties of matter including nanoparticles, covering 10.5.1 Nanoparticles: size, uses and risks and 10.5.2 Comparing and selecting materials. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.