Fiber Lab Review

You are looking at fibers under the microscope and you notice that they are very straight and uniform. Which of these options are MOST likely?

• wool
• cotton
• polyester
• linen

You have two fibers, you know they are either both cotton, both polyester, or one of each. You perform a water retention test for Fiber A and Fiber B. Fiber A has a water retention of 20%, and Fiber B has a water retention of 5%. Which of the following must be true?

• Both Fiber A and B are cotton
• Both Fiber A and B are polyester
• Fiber A is polyester and Fiber B is cotton
• Fiber A is cotton and Fiber B is polyester

You are looking at purple fibers under the microscope and you notice that the color is very consistent through the whole strand. Which of these options is MOST likely?

• nylon
• cotton
• linen
• wool

You are burning an unknown fiber. You observe the following characteristics. Which characteristic makes you believe this is a synthetic fiber?

• it gives off gray smoke
• it burns completely
• it sizzles while burning
• the ash is a hard lump

You have placed an unknown strand of fiber into bleach solution. You observe the following characteristics. Which characteristic is NOT helpful for identifying the type of fiber?

• the fiber begins to bubble
• the fiber loses its color
• the fiber begins to dissolve

Rayon is made from chemically altered wood pulp. When you burn it, you would expect it to smell the same as...

• wool
• cotton
• nylon
• polyester
• acrylic

You are looking at an unknown fiber under the microscope and noticed that the strands are twisted. The unknown fiber is most likely...

• cotton
• wool
• rayon
• nylon
• polyester

You are burning an unknown fiber. The resulting ash is soft and crumbly. Which of these is MOST likely the fiber?

• polyester
• wool
• rayon
• nylon

You are burning an unknown fiber. The smoke smells awful, like burning hair. Which of these is MOST likely the fiber?

• wool
• rayon
• cotton
• polyester

You are trying to identify an unknown fiber by looking at it under the microscope, this is what you see. Which of these is MOST likely the identity of the unknown fiber?

• wool
• polyester
• rayon
• cotton
• nylon