Materials Definition and 988 Threads

A material is a substance or mixture of substances that constitutes an object. Materials can be pure or impure, living or non-living matter. Materials can be classified based on their physical and chemical properties, or on their geological origin or biological function. Materials science is the study of materials and their applications.
Raw materials can be processed in different ways to influence their properties, by purification, shaping or the introduction of other materials. New materials can be produced from raw materials by synthesis.
In industry, materials are inputs to manufacturing processes to produce products or more complex materials.

View More On Wikipedia.org
Recent contents Top users
  1. O

    Comparing Boiling Points of Two Pairs of Materials

    I have two materials that I have to decide who has a higher boiling point C2H5OH-CH3OH this is the First duo here i have no idea how to know. and i have The second pair:CH3CH2CH2CH2OH-CH3OCH2CH2CH3 is will be correct if i will say that CH3CH2CH2CH2OH have the higher boiling point then...
  2. S

    Young's modulus when you join two different materials

    Homework Statement If you have two materials of equal length and radius and then you join them together. Material 1 young's modulus = y1 material 2 young's modulus = y2 Homework Equations F/a = y Lchange / Lo The Attempt at a Solution Given they are of the same length and radius...
  3. D

    Strength of Materials (Stress n Torsion)

    Homework Statement 1. Prove the equations. 2.Two solid circular shafts are connected by 5cm and 25cm-pitch-diameter gears as shown in Figure 1.2 below. The shafts are assumed to be supported by bearing, as such bending is negligible. Find the angular rotation at end D with respect to end A...
  4. O

    Empirical formula for these ionic materials

    I have to write an empirical formula for these ionic materials: Al N Sr I so i know that Al gives 3 electrons and N will get 3 electrons. to make them to be neutral so the empirical formula of Al and N need to look like this AlN? and for Sr and I i know Sr gives electrons and I get 1 so...
  5. mrspeedybob

    Do materials have temporal elasticity?

    If I take a spring and move one end at a different velocity then the other tension will build in the spring and when released it will return to its natural shape. What If I take an object and put one end at the edge of a centrifuge and the other at the center. Acceleration and velocity will...
  6. M

    Solid-state physics and materials science

    Hi, Can someone with a bachelor in physics, masters in ss physics, go into materials science r & d? Thanks, miss fangula
  7. Y

    Advice please? Materials Science or Electrical Engineering

    Hi guys, I just finished my BSc in physics, and I’d really appreciate any advice on deciding between Electrical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering for my masters. Anyway my argument goes as follows: Interests? My interests lie in nanotechnology, super/semiconductors, green...
  8. Z

    The book 'Gravitation' and supporting materials

    I'm a math major, but I really want to learn about general relativity (the 'real' GR, not the watered-down version that gets into popular science books) on my own. I'm not in any rush to learn it--i.e., I'm willing to work through a big tome like Gravitation over the course of, say, the next...
  9. S

    Can microwave radiation penetrates building materials?

    Can Microwave radiation penetrates building materials? I'm living within 120 meters from a mobile phone base station and I'm concerned with possible health effects from it .
  10. J

    Optimizing Electric Motor Core Materials for High Frequency Performance

    Hello Everyone, I'm interested in designing my own custom electric motor for some experiments and I am trying to do some research on some of the various laminated steel materials available. I have a decent working knowledge of general magnetic material properties, saturation characteristics...
  11. V

    Ranking materials in order of their refraction index.

    Hi everyone I'm having a bit of trouble solving this question. If anyone can help that would be awesome Homework Statement Rank the materials in the diagram according to their refractive indices from greatest to smallest (see attachment) The attempt at a solution The greater the...
  12. S

    Materials for Chemistry Lab: Metal+Acid Reaction

    a chemistry lab. What materials do I need if I'm going to be doing a metal + acid (rate of reaction) lab?
  13. A

    How Does Displacement Affect Material Polarization?

    Homework Statement Show that the polarization of a material is P=Nqx where x is the displacement between the center of the electron cloud and the atomic nucleus. Homework Equations P=Nqx is given and I went ahead and subbed (q/m) * E[1/(w0^2 - w^2)] for x. The Attempt at a Solution...
  14. K

    How to measure capacitance of capacitor using these materials only?

    Hi, How can I measure the capacitance of a capacitor, using the following: a battery, a digital voltmeter (which records voltage as a function of time), a digital ammeter (which records current as a function of time), an industrial capacitor, two copper plates, and several...
  15. M

    Equilibrium temperature distribution for rod of 2 materials

    1. Determine the equilibrium temperature distribution for a one-dimensional rod composed of two different materials in perfect thermal contact at x=1. For 0<x<1, there is one material (c\rho=1, K=1) with a constant source (Q=0), whereas for the other 1<x<2 there are no sources (Q=0, c\rho=2...
  16. M

    How effective are materials for good wear in a dry-running air motor?

    Hello, I'm puzzling over the likelihood of building a dry-running air motor for 25khrs @5-20kRPM. I'm considering whether a small gear pump arrangement would doe the job - it only needs to output 6 shaft watts, but I'm concerned about wear. Standard gears are avalable in steel and...
  17. T

    What does a materials scientist do?

    I've heard a lot of good things about the field of materials science, and the work being done seems really cool to me. But I'm wondering what a working materials scientist actually does. Does it use a lot of math and physics? Is it mostly lab work? Is it more qualitative? The reason I ask...
  18. J

    Can we remove/add electrons and protons from/to atoms to create other materials?

    Example: Take a hydrogen atom and make it a carbon atom. Can we do it with our current technology? If so, how do they do it?
  19. J

    Strength of materials- simple truss problem

    Homework Statement The bars in the truss each have a cross sectional area of 1.2in^2. If the maximum axial stress in any bar is not to exceed 25ksi, determine the maximum magnitude of P of the loads that can be applied to the truss. Determine the elongation of each member. E=29,000 ksi...
  20. I

    Earth batteries and different materials

    Would titanium and copper make a better Earth battery than iron and copper? What will the voltage and current difference be between the two?
  21. C

    Debate: Chemical or Materials Engineering as a Career

    Dear Kind and Knowledgeable Contributors, I am a graduate student in my first year debating between completing the rest of my PhD. program in Chemical Engineering or Materials Science and Engineering. My university allows me to switch into either field. I believe I am equally capable in...
  22. W

    Mechanics of Materials: Torsional deformation at free end with torque at middle

    Homework Statement A circular shaft AB has a torque T acting at the middle of the shaft, defined as plane C. Shaft end A is fixed while shaft end B is free to rotate (mounted in a thrust bearing). Finding the twist angle from A to C is not difficult, but the question requires that the twist...
  23. L

    Minimising the materials used for a circular gutter.

    Homework Statement A plastic gutter is designed to catch water at the edge of a roof. Manufacturers need to minimise the amount of material used to make their product. What is the best cross-section for a gutter? In this case, a circle. Homework Equations None, asside from...
  24. S

    Determine materials used here and its manufacturing processes

    Guys, I have two objects here, need to know what are they and the processes they go thru to manufacture. Thanks, shubhash
  25. S

    Specialization: radiation shielding and reactor materials

    Is specialization in radiation shielding and reactor/reactant materials a valid area of specialization? I am just worried if the two areas are too broad or different to name as my area of specialization. I ask this because I am trying to answer my applications for area of specialization and I...
  26. T

    Materials with an index of refraction of zero

    http://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/nanotechnology/nanostructured-metamaterial-enables-invisibility-cloak?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IeeeSpectrum+%28IEEE+Spectrum%29 "We can even have amplification of light instead of its absorption. Here, for the...
  27. D

    Behaviour of materials for computer graphics applications

    Hi, I am not a physicist. I am trying to understand something about the behaviour of materials for computer graphics applications. I am trying to get an intuitive understanding of refraction. As far as I understand it - and please correct me if I am wrong - lightwave's phase velocity is...
  28. B

    Robot Materials: Light & Economical Solutions

    I am currently designing a small humanoid. What are the possible materials for the body? I would like the robot to be light and economical.
  29. D

    Extract these materials from a mixture?

    I have a number of materials all mixed together in a beaker, my task is to extract each material individually, and get the weight of those materials. The materials in the beaker are: -Olive Oil -Copper 'bits' about the size of rice grains -Beach Sand -Iron Filings -Gravel - pebbles...
  30. B

    Time Slows Down in Refractive Materials?

    i understand that light 'slows down' in a refractive material when passing through it, but is this an actual drop in speed, or is the light absorbed and re-emmiited etc, so that its actual velocity does not decrease, merely the appearence of it. does time slow down inside optical material?
  31. G

    Ph. D. in Materials Science or Physics?

    Hello, I am currently getting ready to start applying Ph. D. programs, but I am unsure whether I want to continue with physics or materials science (I will graduate with degrees in both physics and materials science). I am wondering whether career options will be better for a physicist or...
  32. J

    Orthotropic materials defined by 9 constants

    Could some one explain, or give me a pointer to a good explanation, of how the nine constants that are often used to define orthotropic materials are determined. I understand what E is in each direction. I understand poisson ratio. I sort of understand G. (I understand it as the E...
  33. R

    Study Materials for Solid state physics

    I have found plenty of study materials, notes and links on Classical Mechanics and Quantum Mechanics. However I could not found any forum on this site that provides study materials of solid state physics. So please if you have got the link, please post it in here.
  34. C

    What defines a particle as a nanoparticle?

    Is the only way to find a material's or compound's behavior at the nano scale through experiment or can we deduce its characteristics through some other way or theories?
  35. E

    Materials to read on global warming

    I am a solid state physicist. I feel bad that I know nothing about global warming (in terms of the details: what experiments have been done, what models exist, key papers, what, if any, real controversy there is). What resources would be recommended? What papers, books, websites? It is...
  36. G

    Materials for dynamic seal application

    I am about to talk to a prototype company and need some advice on O ring, friction and seals. I am creating a device that works on slight water pressure differential. I have a piston like structure that is cylindrical and there will be an o ring inside the cylinder. The gas/liquid that the o...
  37. K

    Elastic materials affecting impact

    Remember those executive toys that were popular in the '80s? You have a steel ball on the end of a thin rod hitting another steel ball that is stationary. As near as we can see, the target ball gets all the momentum of the moving ball, and the moving ball stops dead - close to 100% transfer. But...
  38. E

    Covariant Maxwell Equations in Materials

    Hi everybody, I have this simple question. ¿Where can I find the covariant maxwell equations in materials?. I've already one and proved they correctly represent the non-homogene maxwell equations, is this one \partial_{\nu}F^{\nu\mu}+\Pi^{\mu\nu}A_{\nu}=J^{\mu}_{libre} with the tensor...
  39. S

    Materials Science and Nuclear Engineering?

    If I would like to do research in materials having to do with nuclear radiation and nuclear physics, what type of degree path should I follow?
  40. D

    Plastics and glass - materials question

    Hello folks! I have a few questions regarding plastics. I am pretty new to material science, so please bear with me... I am actually looking for a material with a set of specific properties that my design requires: good impact resistance, moderate to high thermal resistance / high melting...
  41. S

    Mechanics of Materials: Torsion

    Homework Statement A shaft fixed on both ends is shown below. It is made of a steel tube, which is bonded to a brass core. A torque T_D is applied at location shown. The tube is fixed at both ends. [PLAIN]http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/2940/problem2eb.jpg Show that the fraction of...
  42. S

    Mechanics of Materials: stress due to thermal expansion

    Homework Statement The magnesium allow tube (AM1004-T61) AB is capped with a rigid plate. The gap between E and end C of 6061-T6 alluminum alloy solid circular rod CD is d[m] when the temperature is T_1 degrees celcius. [PLAIN]http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/8867/problemwn.jpg The...
  43. M

    THEORETICAL Strengths Of Materials.

    Homework Statement 1) Why, in general, do brittle materials not achieve their theoretical tensile strengths? 2) Why, in general, do ductile materials not achieve their theoretical shear strengths? Homework Equations None needed. Wordy answer. The Attempt at a Solution...
  44. M

    Problem nº1 from Strenght of Materials by J.P. Den Hartog (1949)

    Homework Statement A propeller shaft in the largest and most powerful ships transmits about 50,000 hp. Assume that the propeller transforms this power into a forward push on the ship with an efficiency of 70 per cent and that the ship's speed then is 30 knots (1 knot is 6,080 ft/hr). The...
  45. 6

    Building a Submarine-Like Structure: Materials & Thickness for a Given Volume

    I´m trying to find approx. numbers or formulas for a submarine like structure to mantain a constant volume. For a given volume, which materials and to what thickness should the container be?
  46. 2

    Physics vs. Chemistry vs. Materials Science

    I apologize if these questions have already been answered, but I couldn't find quite what I was looking for by searching. I am a junior in high school trying to get an idea of what I want to major in. I like (and am good at) math, physics, and chemistry, having taking the AP classes for these...
  47. S

    What causes some materials to have upper and lower yield points?

    Hey, Just wondering how to explain the yield point run-off for low carbon steel. Why does LCS have an upper yield point, followed directly by a lower yield point? Thanks, -Spoon
  48. T

    Static electricity generation. Optimum materials?

    Hello. I'm interested intaking a cloud formed of activated carbon particles and particulates of some other substance to produce static electricity similar to that formed in a cumulonimbus cloud. The means of containing this experiment is another matter. I understand that when "opposite...
  49. R

    What is exact difference btwn ISOTROPIC and HOMOGENEOUS materials

    what is exact difference btwn ISOTROPIC and HOMOGENEOUS materials (kindly don't tell definition of those things)
  50. N

    Predicting which atoms radiate first in radioavtive materials

    I wonder if there is any theoretical knowledge how to predict which atoms will decay first in given radioactive substance? I was asking about this in school and teacher said it is not possible to predict this...i doubt this process is random... Thanks
Back
Top