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  • © 2018

Fifty Materials That Make the World

Authors:

  • Provides a concise introduction to various materials with broad day-to-day applications

  • Describes how the uses of certain materials were discovered and their importance in today’s world

  • Examines how advances in materials underlie and enable advances in technology

  • Covers a wide range of materials including stone, wood, leather, cloth, natural fibers, gold, and numerous alloys

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Table of contents (50 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvii
  2. ABS Plastics

    • Ian Baker
    Pages 1-3
  3. Aluminium/Aluminum

    • Ian Baker
    Pages 5-9
  4. Asphalt

    • Ian Baker
    Pages 11-13
  5. Bakelite

    • Ian Baker
    Pages 15-17
  6. Bronze

    • Ian Baker
    Pages 19-22
  7. Celluloid

    • Ian Baker
    Pages 23-27
  8. Clay

    • Ian Baker
    Pages 29-34
  9. Concrete

    • Ian Baker
    Pages 35-42
  10. Copper

    • Ian Baker
    Pages 43-47
  11. Cotton

    • Ian Baker
    Pages 49-53
  12. Diamond

    • Ian Baker
    Pages 55-58
  13. Gallium Arsenide

    • Ian Baker
    Pages 59-62
  14. Glass

    • Ian Baker
    Pages 63-69
  15. Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymers

    • Ian Baker
    Pages 71-74
  16. Gold

    • Ian Baker
    Pages 75-79
  17. Graphite

    • Ian Baker
    Pages 81-87
  18. Gutta Percha

    • Ian Baker
    Pages 89-91
  19. Iron

    • Ian Baker
    Pages 93-100
  20. Kevlar and Other Aramid Fibers

    • Ian Baker
    Pages 101-104

About this book

This book introduces materials and how advances in materials result in advances in technology and our daily lives. Each chapter covers a particular material, how the material was discovered or invented, when it was first used, how this material has impacted the world, what makes the material important, how it is used today, and future applications. The list of materials covered in this book includes stone, wood, natural fibers, metals, clay, lead, iron, steel, silicon, glass, rubber, composites, polyethylene, rare earth magnet, and alloys.

Reviews

“This fascinating and useful book, aimed at a wide readership, adopts the point of view that human civilization has been materials-based throughout its history. … Readers with a basic (high school level) understanding of chemistry or physics can easily grasp the material. … the selection of 50 solid materials is quite thorough; readers will be hard pressed to name solid materials important to human history that were omitted. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels.” (J. Lambropoulos, Choice, Vol. 56 (5), January, 2019)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, USA

    Ian Baker

About the author

Ian Baker is a Professor of Engineering at Dartmouth College. His research interests include mechanical behavior of metallic alloys, magnetic materials, ice and snow, phase transformations, electron microscopy, and x-ray techniques.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access