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Sediment - GCSE Chemistry Definition

Reviewed by: Richard Boole

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Sediment refers to small solid particles (such as rock, soil, or organic material) that settle at the bottom of a liquid. This happens when the particles are too heavy to remain suspended and sink due to gravity.

In GCSE Chemistry, sediment is important when studying mixtures and separation techniques. For example:

  • In sedimentation, heavier particles settle at the bottom of a container

  • It is often the first step before filtration or decanting in water purification

Understanding sediment helps explain how solids can be separated from liquids based on particle size and density.

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Richard Boole

Reviewer: Richard Boole

Expertise: Chemistry Content Creator

Richard has taught Chemistry for over 15 years as well as working as a science tutor, examiner, content creator and author. He wasn’t the greatest at exams and only discovered how to revise in his final year at university. That knowledge made him want to help students learn how to revise, challenge them to think about what they actually know and hopefully succeed; so here he is, happily, at SME.

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