Physical Properties:

Physical Property: a characteristic that can be observed or measured without changing the identity of the substance.
(Definition found on page 7 in the textbook)


Color:

First, I opened the Hershey's Cocoa container and came to the conclusion that the color of the Hershey's Cocoa powder is a light brown. Color is a physical property because color can be observed without changing the identity of the substance.

Hershey's Cocoa Powder: Color Observation

Taste:

Next, I tasted the cocoa powder. There was not a strong taste to it like I expected but there was definitely a bitter taste to the powder. Taste is a physical property because taste can be observed without changing the identity of the substance.

Phase:

After observing the shape and volume of the cocoa powder, I concluded that the identity of the substance is a solid at room temperature because it has a definite shape and a definite volume. Phase is a physical property because the phase of the substance is observed and is not changing the identity of the substance, which is a solid.

Homogeneous:

The cocoa powder is homogeneous because the composition of the cocoa powder is uniform throughout the substance. To be homogeneous the matter must be a mixture and be uniform in composition. This is a physical property because the composition can be observed without changing the identity of the substance.

Homogeneous- the composition is uniform throughout.

Malleability:

For this test, I took a Chinese chopstick and crushed the cocoa chunks and observed what happened to the powder. The bigger chunks just broke up into smaller chunks until finally it all became a fine powder. So the cocoa powder is not malleable. Malleability is a physical property because it can be observed without changing the identity of the substance.

Malleability Test