Alloys vs Pure metals REVISION

This is a short revision lesson (@10-15 minutes) which supports students to explain why alloys are harder than pure metals. The lesson has been primarily designed for use with those students taking the AQA Combined Science FT in the lead up to mock and GCSE examinations, but is also suitable for students taking the HT, or separate chemistry.

The lesson begins with a reminder that substances including brass and bronze are not metals, but in fact alloys, and then students will see a definition for these mixtures. The rest of the lesson focuses on the difference in hardness between alloys and pure metals, and questions which challenge the students to explain this difference are common but tend to be poorly answered. Therefore, time is taken to walk students through the steps involved in writing a clear and concise explanation. There are understanding checks in the style of exam questions and all answers are embedded into the PowerPoint to allow students to assess their understanding and progress. The key points associated with the topic have also been displayed on a resource which can be kept with the understanding checks for use in the final days and hours before the exam.