Materials Science and Technology Teachers Handbook

Abstract

Briefly defined, materials science is the study of "stuff." Introduction to Materials Science and TechnologyWhat is Materials Science?Materials make modern life possible-from the polymers in the chair you're sitting on, the metal ball-point pen you're using, and the concrete that made the building you live or work in to the materials that make up streets and highways and the car you drive. All these items are products of materials science and technology (MST). Briefly defined, materials science is the study of "stuff." Materials science is the study of solid matter, inorganic and organic. Materials science and technology is a multidisciplinary approach to science that involves designing, choosing, and using three major classes of materials-metals, ceramics, and polymers (plastics). Wood also could be used. Another class of materials used in MST is composites, which are made of a combination of materials (such as in particle board or fiberglass).Materials science combines many areas of science. Figure 1.5 illustrates how materials science draws from chemistry, physics, and engineering to make better, more useful, and more economical and efficient "stuff."Because of the interdisciplinary nature of materials science, it can be used both as an introductory course to interest students in science and engineering and also as an additional course to expand the horizons of students already taking science and mathematics courses. Materials Science Materials ScienceEngineering The Relationship of Science and TechnologyIn the MST classroom, the boundaries are blurred between science and technology. It is not easy to know where one ends and the other begins. In this way, the learning environment of MST reflects the scientific and technical enterprise where scientists, engineers, and technologists work together to uncover knowledge and solve problems. In the school environment, these overlapping and complementary roles of science and technology are found most often in courses called "technology education."Some confusion exists between the labels "technology education" and "educational or informational technology." Educational technology refers to delivery systems for teaching and tools for instruction such as computers, satellite television, laser discs, and even chalk. It refers to laboratory equipment such as microscopes, telescopes, and calculators. These tools can access and process information and perform numerical calculations that describe physical phenomena-but they are not technology education in the sense we describe.In a technology education course, technology is treated as a substantive content area, a subject with a competence or performance-based curriculum involving learned intellectual and physical processes and skills. As such, technology is viewed as a part of the essential curriculum content in mathematics and science, and understanding of the principles and practices of mathematics and science is viewed as essential to effective technology curricula. Science and technology as it is practiced in the real-...

Effect of Sb additions on the creep behaviour of low temperature lead-free Sn–8Zn–3Bi solder alloy

“…Phase diagrams of (a) Sn–Zn binary and (b) Sn–8Zn–(0–8)Bi ternary conducted by Thermo-Calc, reproduced with the permission from Wieda, Schweiger et al (2008) and Kim et al (2003)…”