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Chapter 14 - Useful Materials
   
14-1: Materials with a Past
- People have been making and using alloys and ceramics for thousands of years.  
- Some common alloys include bronze, brass, amalgams, and various alloys of iron.  
- Brass is a mixture of copper and zinc.
- Bronze is a mixture of copper and tin.
- An amalgam is an alloy that contains mercury.  Amalgams may be used for dental fillings.
- Some common ceramics include structural ceramics, such as brick and tile, and various kinds of glass.
- A glass (mostly silicon and oxygen) is a ceramic without a regular crystal structure.                                       
- An alloy is a mixture of a metal with one or more other elements.  
- Alloys exhibit metallic properties.
- Ceramics are composed of clay or claylike mixtures.
- Ceramics generally have nonmetallic properties, except for cermets.
- Cermets are ceramic-metals that have properties of both ceramics and metals. They are tough and heat-resistant.

14-2: New Materials
- Plastics and synthetic fibers are materials made from synthetic polymers.  
- A plastic is a polymer-based material that can easily be molded into various shapes.
- Plastics can be produced in many forms, ranging from thin films to thick slabs or blocks.
- Synthetic fibers are produced in thin strands that can be woven into fabrics.
- There are natural polymer fibers such as silk.
- A composite is a mixture of two materials, one embedded in the other.
- Reinforced concrete is an example of a composite.

14-3: Record Breaking with Sports Technology
- New composite materials used in sporting events allow top-level athletes to challenge records.  Examples in speed events such as auto-racing, bobsledding, and skating point out the advantages of strong, lightweight materials.
- Some people feel that either equipment updates should not be permitted, or some game rules must be changed to preserve traditions and skills in games such as tennis and baseball.