Stuff Matters

Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World

Mark Miodownik

• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9780544483941
• eBook ISBN: 9780544237049
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Education General
• Index: Technology & Engineering

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 and 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 of materials engineering that hold together our physical world.

In Stuff Matters, Miodownik delivers a fascinating work of popular science, exploring 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."—New York Times Book Review

This landmark work of popular science answers the questions you’ve never thought to ask:

• The Science of Everyday Things: Uncover the astonishing properties of materials you think are boring, from the steel in your razor to the graphite in your pencil.
• A History of Ingenuity: Discover the miracles of engineering behind glass, concrete, and even chocolate, and how they shaped our civilization.
• Accessible Materials Science: Join a world-leading materials scientist as he explains why things look and behave the way they do with infectious enthusiasm and brilliant storytelling.
• The Man-Made World: From porcelain teacups to the elastic in your clothes, explore the fascinating secrets that hold our physical world together.

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