3 MATERIAL

CHANGES
REVERSIBLE AND
IRREVERSIBLE CHANGES
 We are able to change materials in
different ways, we can:
Bend them Burn them

Melt them Cool them

 REVERSIBLE CHANGES
 Some changes can be reversed. These are called
reversible changes.
 Reversible changes are PHYSICAL changes where a
material changes how it looks or feels.

Ice water water vapour

Solid liquid gas
 IRREVERSIBLE CHANGES
 Some changes can’t be reversed. These are called
irreversible changes.
 Sometimes irreversible changes turn one substance
into another substance. For example, when we burn a
match the wood changes into a black substance called
carbon.
carbon
Reversible means you can
change a material and then
change it back again.

Irreversible means that when

you change something in some
way you can never get it back
to how it was.
 Melting ice Melting chocolate
= REVERSIBLE = REVERSIBLE

Some changes are

easily reversible

Changing materials
Some changes are
not reversible

Frying an egg – we Adding water to cement

can’t get the raw egg – we can’t get the
back! cement back!
= IRREVERSIBLE = IRREVERSIBLE
Now lets work in groups
 Do you think these changes are reversible or irreversible?

Burnt toast Melted ice

Elastic stretched Bent metal Melting chocolate

Rusting on tin
can Baking cake Heating egg