Class 6 Science Notes Chapter 3 (Fibre to Fabric) – Science Book
Detailed Notes with MCQs of Chapter 3: Fibre to Fabric. This chapter is fundamental to understanding the materials we wear and use daily. For your government exam preparation, pay close attention to the sources, processes, and key terms.
Chapter 3: Fibre to Fabric - Detailed Notes
1. Introduction: Variety in Fabrics
- Fabrics are the materials used to make clothes, bedsheets, curtains, towels, bags, etc.
- There is a wide variety of fabrics like cotton, silk, wool, jute, polyester, nylon, etc.
- Fabrics differ in their texture (smooth, rough), appearance (shiny, dull), and properties (absorbent, quick-drying).
- Fabrics are made from yarns, which are arranged together.
- Yarns, in turn, are made from even thinner strands called fibres.
2. Fibres: The Basic Unit
- Definition: Fibres are thin, thread-like strands obtained from natural or artificial sources, which are spun into yarn.
- Classification: Fibres are broadly classified into two types:
- Natural Fibres: Obtained from plants or animals.
- Synthetic (or Man-made) Fibres: Made by humans using chemical processes.
3. Natural Fibres
-
A. Plant Fibres:
- i. Cotton:
- Source: Obtained from the fruit (called cotton bolls) of the cotton plant.
- Climate/Soil: Grows best in warm climates with black soil. (Important for Geography correlation in exams).
- Process:
- Cotton bolls mature, burst open, and the seeds covered with cotton fibres become visible.
- Cotton is hand-picked from the bolls.
- Ginning: The process of separating cotton fibres from the seeds. Traditionally done by hand, now machines are used.
- Uses: Clothing (shirts, trousers, sarees), bedsheets, towels, bandages.
- ii. Jute:
- Source: Obtained from the stem of the jute plant.
- Climate/Cultivation: Cultivated mainly during the rainy season. Grows well in alluvial soil. Major producers in India: West Bengal, Bihar, Assam.
- Process:
- Jute plants are harvested usually at the flowering stage.
- The harvested stems are immersed in water for a few days (This process is called Retting).
- Retting helps rot the stems and loosen the fibres.
- Fibres are then separated from the rotting stem by hand (Stripping).
- Uses: Making gunny bags, ropes, mats, carpets, shopping bags. Known as the 'Golden Fibre'.
- i. Cotton:
-
B. Animal Fibres: (Brief mention, detailed in higher classes)
- i. Wool: Obtained from the fleece (hair) of sheep, goats (Kashmiri, Angora), yak, camels, llamas, alpacas.
- ii. Silk: Obtained from the cocoon of the silkworm.
4. Synthetic Fibres
- Definition: Fibres made from chemical substances, not obtained directly from plants or animals.
- Examples: Polyester, Nylon, Rayon, Acrylic.
- (Note: These are discussed in detail in higher classes, but knowing the examples is useful).
5. From Fibre to Yarn: Spinning
- Definition: The process of making yarn from fibres is called spinning.
- Process: In spinning, fibres from a mass (like cotton wool) are drawn out and twisted. This twisting brings the fibres together to form a strong yarn.
- Devices used for Spinning:
- Hand Spindle (Takli): A simple, traditional hand-operated device.
- Charkha: A hand-operated wheel device, popularized by Mahatma Gandhi as a symbol of self-reliance during India's independence movement.
- Spinning Machines: Large-scale spinning is done using machines in mills.
6. From Yarn to Fabric: Weaving and Knitting
- There are two main processes to make fabric from yarn:
- A. Weaving:
- Definition: The process of arranging two sets of yarns together perpendicular to each other to make a fabric.
- Process: Two sets of yarn are interlaced – one set lengthwise (called warp) and the other set crosswise (called weft). Think of how a mat or 'charpai' is woven.
- Device: Done on machines called looms. Looms can be hand-operated (handlooms) or power-operated (power looms).
- Example Fabrics: Most cotton fabrics for shirts, trousers, bedsheets are woven.
- B. Knitting:
- Definition: A process where a single yarn is used to make a piece of fabric. Loops are interlocked using knitting needles or machines.
- Process: If you pull a single yarn from a torn sock or sweater, the entire fabric can unravel – this indicates knitting.
- Method: Can be done by hand using knitting needles or by machines.
- Example Fabrics: Sweaters, socks, mufflers, caps are often knitted.
- A. Weaving:
7. History of Clothing Material
- Ancient Times: People used bark, big leaves of trees, or animal skins and furs to cover themselves.
- Agricultural Settlements: People learned to weave twigs and grass into mats and baskets. Vines, animal fleece, or hair were twisted together into long strands, which were then woven into fabrics.
- Early Cultivation: Cotton (grown near rivers like Ganga) and Flax (grown near the river Nile in ancient Egypt) were used to make fabrics.
- Stitching: In ancient times, people simply draped fabrics. The invention of the sewing needle led to stitching fabrics to make fitted clothes.
- Unstitched Clothes: Even today, many items like the sari, dhoti, lungi, or turban are used as unstitched pieces of fabric.
Key Terms Recap:
- Fibre: Thin strand from which yarn is made.
- Yarn: Spun thread made from fibres, used for weaving or knitting.
- Fabric: Material made by weaving or knitting yarns.
- Natural Fibres: Fibres from plants/animals (Cotton, Jute, Silk, Wool).
- Synthetic Fibres: Man-made fibres (Polyester, Nylon).
- Cotton Bolls: Fruit of the cotton plant containing seeds and fibres.
- Ginning: Separating cotton fibres from seeds.
- Retting: Soaking jute stems in water to separate fibres.
- Spinning: Making yarn from fibres.
- Weaving: Making fabric by interlacing two sets of yarn on a loom.
- Knitting: Making fabric using a single yarn to form interlocking loops.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) for Practice:
-
Which of the following is NOT a natural fibre?
a) Cotton
b) Jute
c) Nylon
d) Silk -
The process of separating cotton fibres from their seeds is called:
a) Spinning
b) Weaving
c) Ginning
d) Retting -
Jute fibre is obtained from which part of the jute plant?
a) Flower
b) Stem
c) Root
d) Fruit -
Which of the following devices is used for spinning yarn by hand?
a) Loom
b) Takli
c) Sewing Machine
d) Gin -
The process of arranging two sets of yarns together to make fabric is known as:
a) Knitting
b) Ginning
c) Spinning
d) Weaving -
Which fibre is known as the 'Golden Fibre'?
a) Cotton
b) Silk
c) Jute
d) Wool -
Sweaters and socks are commonly made using which process?
a) Weaving
b) Knitting
c) Ginning
d) Retting -
Which of these is an animal fibre?
a) Jute
b) Cotton
c) Wool
d) Flax -
In weaving, the two sets of yarn are called:
a) Fibre and Fabric
b) Warp and Weft
c) Cotton and Jute
d) Spin and Knit -
Which of the following requires a single yarn to make a piece of fabric?
a) Weaving on a power loom
b) Weaving on a handloom
c) Knitting
d) Ginning
Answer Key for MCQs:
- c) Nylon
- c) Ginning
- b) Stem
- b) Takli
- d) Weaving
- c) Jute
- b) Knitting
- c) Wool
- b) Warp and Weft
- c) Knitting
Study these notes carefully. Remember the sources of fibres, the key processes like ginning, retting, spinning, weaving, and knitting, and the difference between natural and synthetic fibres. Good luck with your preparation!