EAN: 9783030752125

TEN MATERIALS THAT SHAPED OUR WORLD - M GRANT N...

This book examines ten materials-flint  clay  iron  gold  glass  cement  rubber  polyethylene 
aluminum  and silicon-explaining how they formed  how we discovered them  why they have the
properties they do  and how they have transformed our lives. Since the dawn of the Stone Age 
we have shaped materials to meet our needs and  in turn  those materials have shaped us. The
fracturing of flint created sharp  curved surfaces that gave our ancestors an evolutionary
edge. Molding clay and then baking it in the sun produced a means of recording the written word
and exemplified human artistic imagination. As our ability to control heat improved 
earthenware became stoneware and eventually porcelain  the most prized ceramic of all. Iron
cast at high temperatures formed the components needed for steam engines  locomotives  and
power looms-the tools of the Industrial Revolution. Gold has captivated humans for thousands of
years and has recently found important uses in biology  medicine  and nanotechnology. Glass
shaped into early and imperfect lenses not only revealed the microscopic world of cells and
crystals  but also allowed us to discover stars and planets beyond those visible with the naked
eye. Silicon revolutionized the computer  propelling us into the Information Age and with it
our interconnected social networks  the Internet of Things  and artificial intelligence.
Written by a materials scientist  this book explores not just why  but also how certain
materials came to be so fundamental to human society. This enlightening study captivates anyone
interested in learning more about the history of humankind  our ingenuity  and the materials
that have shaped our world.

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