The five senses and materials

Five senses, five body parts

Eyes see, ears hear, nose smells, tongue tastes, skin feels. Each sense answers a different question, so choosing the right one is choosing the right question: smell tells you what a food might be, but only taste tells you whether it is sweet.

Choosing materials by property

We do not pick a material because it is strong or nice. We pick it because of the property the job needs: glass for a window because it is transparent, plastic for a raincoat because it is waterproof, wool for a scarf because it traps warmth.