CHAPTER 6-

CHANGES AROUND US
Every day we see different types of changes happening
around us. Eg. day turning into night, change of seasons
(e.g. from winter to summer), melting of ice to water,
cooking of food etc.
Everything around us is undergoing a process of
change. Our hair and nails keep growing. Leaves die
and new leaves take their place, flowers change into
fruits etc.
Can you try and draw a mind map for the word “changes around us”

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Changes take place all the time but they are not alike. In
some changes, we get back the original substance and in
some other changes we don’t. While some changes in
our environment are temporary whereas other changes
are relatively permanent. Some happen very quickly
whereas some of them take more time. Some are useful
and some are harmful in nature.
Define a change - It is an observable difference in the
initial and final state of a substance.

Changes can be classified into different types:

On the basis of -
1. their speed
2. their usefulness
3. reversibility
4. their nature
Types
Very slow, slow and fast
Desirable and undesirable
Reversible and irreversible
Natural and man-made

Let us learn about these types one-by-one.

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 A) SLOW AND FAST CHANGES:
Slow Changes:

Changes which take longer period of time to occur are

called slow change. They may take days, months or
even years to happen.
Example: Growth of hair and nails, change of seasons,
revolution of earth.

Fast Changes:

Changes which take place in a short period of time are

called fast changes.
Example: Evaporation of petrol, melting of ice, burning
of a thread etc.

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Can you list some very fast changes?

b) Desirable and undesirable CHANGES:

Desirable Changes:

Changes which are desired to occur (i.e. we want them

to take place) are known as desirable changes.
These changes produce good results.

Examples: Rain bringing water to the crops results in

germination of seeds, change of milk to curd, ripening
of fruits, growth of a seedling into a plant.

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Undesirable Changes:
Changes brought about by a person or by nature that are
harmful are known as undesirable changes.

Examples: Rain causing destruction by causing floods,

a medicine giving an allergic reaction, over-ripening
and rotten fruits.

c) Reversible and irreversible changes:

Reversible changes can be described as the changes

that can be reversed/brought back to original by
reversing the action or changing the conditions.

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Examples of some reversible changes:-Folding of
paper, rolling out a chapati from a ball of dough,
stretching of rubber, melting of ice candy or chocolate,
boiling of water, dissolving salt in water etc. We can
say that they are temporary changes.

Irreversible changes can be described as the changes

that cannot be reversed/brought back to original, even
after providing the required conditions.

The examples of some irreversible changes: - ripening

of fruits, souring of milk, cooking of food, burning of
paper, cutting of paper, rusting of iron, growth of
animals and plants etc. They are permanent changes.

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Some examples of reversible and irreversible changes are
given below:

Reversible change Irreversible change

1. Inflating a balloon: Balloon 1. Bursting of balloon:
regains its original shape after Balloon cannot get back into
evacuating. its original shape.
2. Making ice from water: We 2. Making curd from milk:
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can get water back by melting Milk cannot be obtained back
the ice. once curd is formed.
3. Folding the paper: We can 3. Cutting the paper: We
get back the paper in its cannot get back the original
original shape and size after paper from its pieces as it was
unfolding it. before.
4. Glowing of electric bulb: 4. Burning of paper: It gives
Once the bulb is switched off, heat, light and ash, but we
it again becomes dark as cannot get the paper back.
before.

ACTIVITY TIME!!!!!
- Collect the following items – Chalk, pencil, paper,
water, clay, fruits, scissors etc.
- Try to display as many types of changes as possible
using them.

It important to note that some changes can be of more

than one type. Eg cutting ripe fruits can be fast,
irreversible as well as desired change.

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 EXPERIMENT TIME
Aim – To observe the physical change that occurs when
iodine crystals are heated.
Material – Iodine crystals, china dish, inverted funnel,
cotton wool, wire gauze.

Procedure –
1. Take some crystals of iodine in a China dish.
2. Cover the China dish with an inverted funnel as
shown. Plug the narrow end of the funnel with
cotton wool.

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 3. Keep this apparatus on a stand covered with wire
gauze and place a burner below the wire gauze.
4. Heat the iodine crystals for about 5-10 minutes and
observe the changes.
Observation – 1) Dense violet fumes of iodine are
formed. 2) Violet crystals of iodine are seen on the
inner surface of the funnel.
Inference – Iodine crystals undergo a change in their
physical state on heating (solid to vapour state). The
vapour formed undergoes cooling and it gets converted
back to solid crystals (condensation). So the crystals
are seen deposited on the inner side of the funnel.
Because we get iodine crystals back, we can say that
heating iodine crystals is a reversible change.

D) PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL changes:

Many changes involve bending, cutting, ripping,
breaking and making, evaporation, melting, dissolving,
freezing, sawing wood etc. All these processes bring
about the changes in the form of a substance changing
its colour, size, shape, temperature, state of matter etc.
Such changes are grouped as physical changes.

Burning wood, rotting fruit peels, mixing vinegar and

baking soda, digestion of food, making an egg omelette,
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baking cake, bursting of crackers, rusting of iron,
photosynthesis etc are also changes but they cause
change in the chemical structure or composition of a
substance. They are grouped under chemical changes.

Physical changes Chemical changes.

Changes affect physical
properties of a substance
like shape, size, state,
colour, temperature etc.
Are mostly reversible.
No new substance is formed
usually.
Are usually temporary.
Very little or no energy is
given out or absorbed.
Eg. Tearing of paper
Changes affect chemical
properties of a substance
making a new substance
with new properties.
Are mostly irreversible.
New substance is formed.
Are usually permanent.
Involves absorption or
release of energy as heat or
light.
Burning of paper

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Have you understood what are chemical
and physical changes? Let’s check….

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DIFFERENT WAYS THAT CAUSE CHANGES –
Change in any substance can be brought about mainly
by heating or by applying pressure.
a) Substances like paper, wood, dry leaves, clothes
etc. easily catch fire when heated and produce
ash.
b) When we apply pressure, we can change the
shape or size of a substance. E.g.
• Air can be compressed.
• Metals can be hammered into thin sheets.
• Elastic can be stretched when pulled.
• Cotton can be spun into thin threads.
EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION
Some materials expand on heating and contract on
cooling. They mainly include metals.
The amount of expansion and contraction differs in
solids, liquids, and gases.
Gases expand the most while solids expand the least.
Let us see some examples of expansion in solids, liquids and gases on
heating.

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Cooling causes a material to contract. Gases contract the most
and solids contract the least.

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 Applications of Expansion and Contraction:

➢ Expansion by heating can be used in several everyday

activities.
The jammed metal lid of a jar can be opened by heating.
➢ Use of mercury in thermometers.
➢ Electric lines are never hung tightly between the poles.

EXPERIMENT TIME –
AIM – To observe the chemical change in a burning incense
stick.

MATERIAL – Incense stick, Incense stand

PROCEDURE –
1. Take an incense stick and fix it in the incense stand.
2. Light the incense stick and let it burn until the incense
stick is burnt completely.
3. Observe the changes.

OBSERVATION – The burnt incense stick leaves a black

coloured powder called ash. Smoke is also seen which
contains gases.
The products which are formed are totally different from that
of the incense stick.

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CONCLUSION: Burning of an incense stick is irreversible as
well as chemical change.
This shows that some changes fall into different types at the
same time.
- Burning of a candle and digestion of food are
physical as well as chemical changes. Can you
justify this?
- Can you explain why rolling of chapati is physical
but baking of chapati is a chemical change?

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