From the publisher. The study of materials and their properties forms an important area of research. Christopher Hall introduces the field of material science using gold, sand, and string -- familiar things that represent the big families of metals, ceramics, and polymers. By explaining their properties, how materials are created, and the processes involved in their fabrication into objects, he shows how materials science brings together engineering and technology with physics, chemistry, and biology. He also shows how materials influence communications, the media, architecture, building, and the fine arts.