Free Printable Physical and Chemical Properties and Changes Worksheets - Free Printable

Here is the step-by-step breakdown to determine whether each occurrence is a physical or chemical change.

Step 1: Understand the Definitions
* Physical Change (P): The substance changes its appearance, state (like melting or freezing), or size, but it is still the same stuff inside. No new substance is created. Think of it like rearranging a deck of cards; the cards are the same, just in a different order.
* Chemical Change (C): A new substance is created. The molecules actually change. You often see bubbles, smoke, heat, light, or a color change that you can't easily reverse.

Step 2: Analyze Each Item

1. Crushing a rock: You are just making it smaller. It's still rock dust. -> Physical
2. Digesting food: Your body uses acids and enzymes to break food down into completely different nutrients. It's a chemical process. -> Chemical
3. Water evaporating: Water turns from liquid to gas (steam). It's still $H_2O$, just moving faster. -> Physical
4. Fireworks exploding: This creates light, heat, and sound. The chemicals inside burn to create new gases and colors. -> Chemical
5. Getting a haircut: You are cutting hair. The hair on the floor is still hair. -> Physical
6. An ice cube melting: Ice (solid) turns into water (liquid). It's still water. -> Physical
7. A candle burning: The wax melts (physical), but the burning wick and wax reacting with oxygen to make smoke and heat is a chemical reaction. -> Chemical
8. Salt dissolving in water: The salt disappears, but if you boil the water away, the salt is left behind. It didn't change into something else. -> Physical
9. Silver tarnishing: Silver reacts with air to form a black coating (tarnish). This is a new substance. -> Chemical
10. Glass breaking: The glass changes shape, but it is still sharp glass shards. -> Physical
11. Hair bleaching: Bleach chemically reacts with the pigment in hair to remove color. It's a chemical reaction. -> Chemical
12. A bicycle rusting: Iron reacts with oxygen and moisture to form rust (iron oxide). This is a new substance. -> Chemical
13. Frying an egg: The heat changes the proteins in the egg. You can't "un-fry" an egg. -> Chemical
14. Baking soda reacting with vinegar: This creates fizzing bubbles (carbon dioxide gas). A new gas is being made. -> Chemical
15. Oil mixing with water: This is a mixture. The oil doesn't change chemically; it just floats on top. -> Physical
16. Cutting grass: Similar to a haircut. The grass is just shorter. -> Physical
17. Butter melting: Solid butter turns to liquid butter. -> Physical
18. Ethanol evaporating: Similar to water evaporating. It's a liquid turning to gas. -> Physical
19. Grass growing: Plants use photosynthesis to turn sunlight and air into growth. This is a complex biological/chemical process. -> Chemical
20. A tire is inflating: You are just adding air to a space. The rubber and the air don't change their chemical makeup. -> Physical

Final Answer:
1. P
2. C
3. P
4. C
5. P
6. P
7. C
8. P
9. C
10. P
11. C
12. C
13. C
14. C
15. P
16. P
17. P
18. P
19. C
20. P