Class 7 Science Chapter 4, The World of Metals and Non-metals, opens with a visit to a village ironsmith in Rajasthan making tawas, buckets and farming tools. It compares the physical and chemical properties of metals and non-metals and their uses in everyday life.
What Class 7 Science Chapter 4 Covers
4.1 Properties of Materials investigates metallic lustre, hardness, malleability (beating into sheets, 4.1.1), ductility (drawing into wires, 4.1.2), sonority (ringing sound, 4.1.3), and conduction of heat and electricity (4.1.4–4.1.5).
4.2–4.3 Effect of Air and Water on Metals experiments with the conditions needed for rusting of iron (both oxygen and water/moisture), methods to prevent rusting, corrosion of copper/silver, and the basic nature of metallic oxides (magnesium ribbon burning).
4.4–4.5 Non-metals & Everyday Life examines how non-metals (sulfur, carbon, phosphorus, oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, iodine) react with air and water to form acidic oxides and why non-metals are essential for respiration, fertilisers and water purification.
Exercises in Chapter 4
- In a Nutshell key points summary and Let Us Enhance Our Learning chapter exercises.
- Exploratory Projects and Dive Deeper hands-on science activities.
Read Class 7 Science Chapter 4 Online
More Chapters
- Previous: Chapter 3: Electricity: Circuits and their Components
- Next: Chapter 5: Changes Around Us: Physical and Chemical
- Hindi medium: Class 7 Science Chapter 4 PDF in Hindi (Jigyasa)
- All Science chapters and the other Class 7 books: Class 7 NCERT books 2026-27
- All Class 1 to 12 NCERT Textbooks: NCERT Books PDF (Class 1–12)
FAQ
What two conditions are essential for the rusting of iron?
Both oxygen (air) and water (or water vapour/moisture) must be present for iron to rust.
What is the difference between malleability and ductility?
Malleability is the property of metals by which they can be beaten into thin sheets (like aluminium foil), whereas ductility is the property of being drawn into thin wires (like copper wire).