Which term describes a material formed by combining two or more substances with properties different from its components?

Which term describes a material formed by combining two or more substances with properties different from its components?

• A. Plastic
• B. Carbohydrate
• C. Composite
• D. Glucose

Answer: (C)

Materials formed by joining two or more substances where each part keeps its own identity but the combination yields new properties are called composites. The idea is that the final material has characteristics—like greater strength, toughness, or lightness—that neither component has on its own. Concrete is a classic example: cement paste acts as the matrix, while gravel or sand provides the reinforcement. Together, they create a material that handles loads differently than cement or gravel would alone. Fiberglass mixes glass fibers with a resin matrix to make a strong, lightweight material, and wood itself is a natural composite of fibers embedded in a binding matrix. This term is the best fit because it directly describes a material made from a mixture of substances that produces properties not present in the components by themselves. Plastic refers to a broad class of polymers; some plastics can be reinforced to become composites, but the described idea points to composite. Carbohydrates and glucose are individual chemical substances, not combined materials.

Materials formed by joining two or more substances where each part keeps its own identity but the combination yields new properties are called composites. The idea is that the final material has characteristics—like greater strength, toughness, or lightness—that neither component has on its own. Concrete is a classic example: cement paste acts as the matrix, while gravel or sand provides the reinforcement. Together, they create a material that handles loads differently than cement or gravel would alone. Fiberglass mixes glass fibers with a resin matrix to make a strong, lightweight material, and wood itself is a natural composite of fibers embedded in a binding matrix.

This term is the best fit because it directly describes a material made from a mixture of substances that produces properties not present in the components by themselves. Plastic refers to a broad class of polymers; some plastics can be reinforced to become composites, but the described idea points to composite. Carbohydrates and glucose are individual chemical substances, not combined materials.