Materials are diverse substances that comprise everyday objects and structures, categorized into metals, ceramics, plastics, semiconductors, and composites. Materials science and engineering is an interdisciplinary field focusing on the properties, structures, and processing of materials to solve practical problems. The history of materials usage has evolved significantly, impacting technological advancements from the Stone Age to modern times.

1. Material Science

2. What are Materials?Our clothes are made of materials, our homes are made of materials - mostly manufactured. Glass windows, vinyl siding, metal silverware, ceramic dishes…Most things are made from many different kinds of materials.

3. Kinds of MaterialsMetals are materials that are normally combinations of "metallic elements". Metals usually are good conductors of heat and electricity. Also, they are quite strong but malleable and tend to have a lustrous look when polished.Ceramics are generally compounds between metallic and nonmetallic elements. Typically they are insulating and resistant to high temperatures and harsh environments.

4. Plastics are generally organic compounds based upon carbon and hydrogen. They are very large molecular structures. Usually they are low density and are not stable at high temperatures.Semiconductors have electrical properties intermediate between metallic conductors and ceramic insulators. Also, the electrical properties are strongly dependent upon small amounts of impurities.

5. Compositesconsist of more than one material type. Fiberglass, a combination of glass and a polymer, is an example. Concrete and plywood are other familiar composites. Many new combinations include ceramic fibers in metal or polymer matrix.

6. BranchesNanotechnologya relatively new area grown out of techniques used to manufacture semiconductor circuits. Machines can be produced on a microscopic level. Example - miniature robots to do surgery inside the body or miniature chemical laboratories and instruments that will continuously analyze blood and dispense medications inside the body.

7. Materials Science and EngineeringAn interdisciplinary study that combines metallurgy, physics, chemistry, and engineering to solve real-world problems with real-world materials in an acceptable societal and economical manner.

8. The following elements and their interaction define Materials Science and Engineering:PerformancePropertiesStructure and compositionSynthesis and processing

9. The engineering of fantastic new materials is not a given, but a natural outgrowth. It is here that science and engineering almost touch.

10. Materials TestingMaterials testing is a much narrower field than materials science or engineering.It is determining the strength of certain materials.It is mostly used to determine safety. Ex. concrete samples are tested.It is not used to design new materials to be used in new applications.

11. History of MaterialsEven our history has been defined by the materials we use…The stone ageThe copper ageThe bronze ageThe iron age

12. Man has been studying materials since before leaving the cave.Due to lack of communication, early man spent hundreds of millennia experimenting with stone tools.The first metal tools appeared perhaps only six thousand years ago.

13. HistoryThe discovery of “Iceman” in the Alps in 1991 gave significant information on early Copper age. He was carrying a copper axe.It is dated at about 5300 years, when the first pyramids were built.

14. As our knowledge of materials grows, so does the sophistication of our tools.The more sophisticated our tools, the more sophisticated our accomplishments.