Stretching to Compare Properties: The Plastic Test

Plastic is an ambiguous term used to describe a variety of different polymers. Despite recycling efforts, many plastics still end up in landfills and oceans.

Each group needs:

• piece of plastic from a dry cleaning bag, ~30 x 30 cm (~12 x 12 in), labeled A
• piece of plastic from a grocery store bag, ~30 x 30 cm (~12 x 12 in), labeled B
• piece of plastic from a department store bag, ~30 x 30 cm (~12 x 12 in), labeled C
• piece of plastics from a plastic milk container, ~30 x 30 cm (~12 x 12 in), labeled D
• plastic medical examiner glove, labeled E
• Data Collection Sheet (PDF), one per person
• pencil
• ruler

Note: The plastic piece sizes are approximate.

To share with the entire class:

• colored tape
• a few different sized notebooks
• a set of the five plastic test pieces (A-E), for a teacher stretch demo