Polymer

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/polymer

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is Polymer?Supramolecular polymers formed by non-covalent interactions
2. What is the scientific classification?Macromolecules composed of repeating monomer subunits
3. What is the primary formation mechanisms?Chain-growth polymerization and step-growth polymerization
4. Where do polymers come from?Polymers can be natural, like the proteins and DNA in our bodies, or made by people in labs, such as plastics and nylon.
5. Why are polymers important in everyday life?Polymers help us in many ways: they make clothes, food containers, cars, and even medical tools that keep us healthy.

Macromolecule: An extremely large molecule, typically a polymer, composed of many repeating subunits linked together.
Polymerization: The chemical process by which monomer molecules react together to form larger polymer molecules.
Monomer: A small molecule that serves as the repeating structural unit of a polymer.