eBook - ePub
Stuff Matters
Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World
- 272 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
In this New York Times Notable Book, "Mark Miodownik, a materials scientist, explains the history and science behind things such as paper, glass, chocolate, and concrete with an infectious enthusiasm."—Scientific American
Winner of the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books
Why is glass see-through? What makes elastic stretchy? Why does any material look and behave the way it does? These are the sorts of questions that renowned materials scientist New York Times bestselling author Mark Miodownik constantly asks himself. Studying objects as ordinary as an envelope and as unexpected as concrete cloth, he uncovers the fascinating secrets that hold together our physical world.
In Stuff Matters, Miodownik explores the materials he encounters in a typical morning, from the steel in his razor to the foam in his sneakers. Full of enthralling tales of the miracles of engineering that permeate our lives, his stories of analysis will make you see stuff in a whole new way.
"Stuff Matters is about hidden wonders, the astonishing properties of materials we think boring, banal, and unworthy of attention...It's possible this science and these stories have been told elsewhere, but like the best chocolatiers, Miodownik gets the blend right."—The New York Times Book Review
Winner of the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books
Why is glass see-through? What makes elastic stretchy? Why does any material look and behave the way it does? These are the sorts of questions that renowned materials scientist New York Times bestselling author Mark Miodownik constantly asks himself. Studying objects as ordinary as an envelope and as unexpected as concrete cloth, he uncovers the fascinating secrets that hold together our physical world.
In Stuff Matters, Miodownik explores the materials he encounters in a typical morning, from the steel in his razor to the foam in his sneakers. Full of enthralling tales of the miracles of engineering that permeate our lives, his stories of analysis will make you see stuff in a whole new way.
"Stuff Matters is about hidden wonders, the astonishing properties of materials we think boring, banal, and unworthy of attention...It's possible this science and these stories have been told elsewhere, but like the best chocolatiers, Miodownik gets the blend right."—The New York Times Book Review
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Yes, you can access Stuff Matters by Mark Miodownik in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Technology & Engineering & Education General. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Index
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Note: Illustrations are indicated by italics
A
acid paper, 26
adult stem cells, replication errors with age, 211
role in rebuilding windpipe, 207–208
aerogels
accelerating research on, 108
aesthetics, aesthetic appeal, 109–110
first exposure to, 92–93
Kistler’s article about, 94–95
substrates for, 97–98
use in detecting Cherenkov radiation, 102–103
use in space exploration, 103
x-aerogels, 108–109
See also silica aerogels
Age of Silicon, xiii
aggregate in concrete, 40
aging
and limits to the cell regeneration process, 211
of paper, 26
aircraft
aluminum, 171
use of carbon fiber composite for, 171–172
wood airplanes, 171
alkaliphilic bacteria, 67–68
alloying
copper to create bronze, 10
and hardening gold, 9, 10
iron to create steel, 10
aluminum
in cement, 54
as lightweight metal, 171
aluminum oxide, impact of impurities on, 9
aluminum sulfate paper coatings, 26
amalgam, dental, 199
Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi (“Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven”), 12–13
America, chocolate consumption in, 88
amputees, robotic limbs for, 212
anterior cruciate ligament tear repairs, 200–201
anthracite, 168
antioxidants in cocoa beans, 74, 84, 89
architecture
in cement or concrete, chemical reactions triggered by, 66
and decorative ceramics, 185
molecular, of carbon nanotubes, 175
multi-scale, as characteristic of materials, 218, 223–224, 226
stained glass windows, 147
use of glass in, 147
use of stainless steel, 19
arthritis, impact on joints, 203
Artsutanov, Yuri, 173–174
astronauts, loss of bone strength, 196
athletes, disabled, carbon fiber prostheses for, 173
atomic scale, 217
atoms
arrangement, and mate...
Table of contents
- Title Page
- Contents
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Introduction
- Indomitable
- Trusted
- Fundamental
- Delicious
- Marvelous
- Imaginative
- Invisible
- Unbreakable
- Refined
- Immortal
- Synthesis
- Acknowledgments
- Photo Credits
- Further Reading
- Index
- Coming Soon from Mark Miodownik
- About the Author
- Footnotes