Look at the picture of the candle burning. The wax of a candle burns into ash and smoke. The original materials are changing into something different. Changes that create a new material are called chemical changes.
Look at the picture of water boiling and changing into steam. Steam is another form of water. Heating water did not create a new material. In changing the water from a liquid to a gas, only the state of the water changed. Changes in the shape, size, or state of a material are called physical changes.
Directions: Study the changes that are occurring in each picture below. Tell what is changing. Then decide if the change is a chemical change or a physical change.
| What is Changing? | What Kind of Change? | |
| A car wreck | 1 | 1 |
| Melting Ice Cream | 1 | 1 |
| Wood Burning | 1 | 1 |
Challenge! List three changes you observe at home. Tell what is changing and what kind of change is occurring in each. Can some changes be both physical and chemical?