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Activity 3.3 — Non-metals: Brittleness
NCERT Activity 3.3: Take samples of carbon, sulphur, and iodine. Try cutting them with a knife and hitting them with a hammer. Observe how non-metals break instead of flattening.
How To Perform
1
Try Cutting Sulphur
Use a knife on the sulphur lump — notice it doesn't cut cleanly like a metal.
2
Hammer Sulphur
Strike the sulphur with a hammer and watch it crumble into powder.
3
Hammer Carbon (Charcoal)
Hit the charcoal piece with a hammer — it fractures into smaller chunks.
4
Hammer Iodine
Strike the iodine crystal — even its shiny surface can't prevent it from shattering.
5
Classify the Property
Identify the property that causes non-metals to break when struck.
⚠️ Safety Notes
- •Wear safety goggles — brittle materials can produce flying fragments when struck.
- •Iodine vapour is harmful — avoid inhaling when crushing iodine crystals.