What is Material: Definition and 1000 Discussions

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.

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  1. L

    Studying Self-study for math and physics or sticking with school material?

    I am in the last year of my high-school with an aspiration to do a double-bachelor in Physics and Math. I am not sure if I am capable of doing so (I am not the smartest), but it is really one of my dreams to study both subjects, so I will try. However, sometimes I experience some difficulty in...
  2. T

    Dense material safe for aquariums?

    I want to sink a tiny glass air-filled, sealed bottle with trinkets into my nano fish aquarium. The items I want to put in the tiny bottle are not waterproof (bones, gems) or I would simply fill the bottle with water to sink it. What material can I add to the tiny bottle to help it sink...
  3. Dario56

    Why is Material Toughness the Ability to Absorb Energy Before Fracture?

    Toughness is defined as ability of material to absorb energy when deforming before fracture. Materials with high ductility and strength will have high toughness. What is meant by ability of material to absorb energy? What is connection between strength, ductility and ability to absorb energy so...
  4. J

    Material selection calculations for DIY traction bars for my truck

  5. R

    Bladder material for containing ammonia

    For my job I want to design a system that will have a bladder for containing and dispensing liquid ammonia, and I am trying to determine the ideal material/product that I could use. It will be fairly small, holding approximately 100g of liquid ammonia. I am envisioning a bag/pouch with a tube...
  6. alpha_michi

    I Slow Down Time in Osmium Room

    So my idea is: Let's say you are in a room, that is 10km in the ground (so its closer to the center of gravity of earth) and made of Osmium. Could it be that the room, because of its mass, actually bends the space time with the Earth's help more so time could be running slower for you? If it is...
  7. M

    Temperature vs moisture content to sustain a fire in a given material?

    So I've been trying to start a fire in which was successful for 10 minutes then died down due to high moisture in the leaves and branches. Which made me think of this phenomenon. is there a graph relationship to burning an organic, non-metal material that is well defined in relation to the...
  8. T

    Relationship between material mass and weight

    What does it mean that the relationship between material mass and weight is constant and proportional? Hi! Yes, another question... I have many doubts. :) I hope someone can help me with this apparently very basic doubt, but I feel like a stupid monkey trying to join two sticks to reach bananas...
  9. Vividly

    Learning New Math Material: Is the 'For Dummies' Series Helpful?

    I have a question. I’m reading the series of the practical man which include arithmetic, algebra,geometry, Trigonometry and Calculus. I’m having some trouble understanding these books and was thinking about reading the series of ____ for dummies such as Geometry for dummies as a supplement. Is...
  10. B

    Extension of an elastic block of Neo-Hookean material

    I'm studying elasticity from classical Gurtin's book, and my professor gave us the following example, during lecture. Unfortunately, this is not present in our references, so I'm posting it here the beginning of the solution, and I will highlight at the end my questions. First I need to state...
  11. S

    Two definitions of material dissipation factor

    Hi, I have seen two versions of definitions of material dissipation factor Df: The first one: Dk (dielectric constant) = K = relative permittivity = ɛ -jɛ’ , ɛ = energy stored and ɛ’ = energy lost. Df (dissipation factor/loss tangent) = ratio of ɛ’ and ɛ The second one: On slide 8 of webinar...
  12. M

    I What happens to the material not involved in the core collapse of a supernova?

    What happens to the material not involved in the core collapse of a supernova? This would be the outer portion of a star or any cloud that surrounds the star. All material to infinity or does some material remain close -- gravitationally close that might collapse if it could. thanks
  13. C

    Help with Material Selection Process

    Hi all, I'm working on designing a device, and I'm having trouble with material selection for a shaft, modeled below. I have found the maximum stress due to bending on the shaft in question by using σ_max = (M_max*y)/I where σ is stress, M is bending moment, y is distance from the neutral...
  14. C

    Fabric material ants bite/eat?

    I have an exercise floor mat which I just bought new 2 weeks ago but there was already holes at bottom not caused by me or factory defect. What kinds of ants can eat fabric? And what fabric could they really bite through? Or are they attracted to the polyethylene foam inside? Does this taste sweet?
  15. L

    Material index formulas for optical clarity and Ashby charts

    Hello:) i need some help trying to find some formulas that i can retrive the material index from at the end of simplification to use with an ashby chart to select materials. here is an example of deflection equation from a sphere used for a spherical cap and what material index we used to find...
  16. S

    Prob/Stats Material on complex random variables and exotic probabilities

    I am looking for books that have sections or even chapters devoted to complex random variables, or random variables that can take on complex values (NOT probabilities that are valued in the complex range, in this regard). On the other hand, if someone does know any books that contain material on...
  17. Leonardo Machado

    Stargazing Where to find more material about LORENE software?

    Unlike Einstein Toolkit, which is a pretty alive community, LORENE users seems to be hidden somewhere. I cannot found much information about this software anywhere in format of tutorials. I'm having problems to compile codes with make use of LORENE libraries because of the reduced amount of...
  18. fluidistic

    A Crystallographic representation of a material, two sources seem very d

    While searching for a software to plot a crystallographic representation of a particular material, I have come across two sources that seem to give two very different views of a same material. In this case, it is CoSb3. On the one hand there is from ASE (Atomic Simulation Environment), a...
  19. Urika

    Engineering Checking a component for a lathe slideway for straightness

    SCREENSHOT OF FIGURE ATTACHED! A component for a lathe slideway was checked for straightness by means of an autocollimator and a reflector carriage whose base length is approximately 100 mm.The instruments were arranged as depicted in Figure 1. The reading at each position, starting at end A...
  20. shk

    Material properties -- Elastic and Plastic deformation in automobile crashes

    a)plastic deformation because of permanent deformation b) the other parts that have been destroyed have stored the energy and this saved the passenger compartment. C) the alloy crash barrier is stronger than the car body and and saves more of the energy by deforming shape. I'm not sure about my...
  21. teun-lll

    Help with densifier for material inside BigBags

    Hey there. I am hoping you guys are willing to share some experience/knowledge. Im a young engineer and i would like to expand my knowledge on mechanical engineering. Currently I am trying to develop a densifier for material inside BigBags. The bigbags are loaded with particles up to a total...
  22. J

    What kind of rubber is "Environmentally Friendly Rubber Material"?

    How many kinds of rubber are there? And what does "Environment Friendly Rubber Material" mean? Hundreds of thousands of babies put these in their mouth and lick them continuously.
  23. U

    Material properties of a bicycle

    Summary:: Please help me to determine the thickness of the material of the bicycle given, i need a step by step procedure. I know the formula required but can figure out the forces acting and reactions on the bicycle. The weight of the person riding the cycle is estimated to be 70-80kg Help me
  24. G

    Polarization of a solid sphere of nonconducting material

    a) Just using the equations gives us: surface charge density = ## \rho_{\rho s} = kR^2 ## volume charge density = ## \rho_\rho = -4kR ## b) I am not sure here but the Q on the shell is the same as within. If that's the case we can use gauss law to find Q which I guess is the total charge. ##...
  25. madafo3435

    Why is the field within a solid conducting material zero?

    .
  26. S

    Does a material change the direction of polarization of light?

    The polarization referes to the direction of the electric field of a light wave which is to be one direction. The unpolarized light interacts with a material in various ways such as reflection, scattering, refraction. and each of which can transform an unpolarized light into a vertically or...
  27. thaiqi

    Quantum Nelson's Stochastic Interpretation of QM: Which Material is Best?

    Hello,everyone. Which material is best for Nelson's stochastic interpretation of quantum mechanics?
  28. B

    Looking for a source of the material properties of various alloys

    I'm looking for a book series tabulating various mechanical and material properties for metals and alloys. There is a book series called "Thermophysical Properties of Matter" and it details the thermophysical properties of hundreds of elements and compounds (even including some obscure uranium...
  29. C

    I Material source of the quasar redshift

    When I see discussions about quasar redshift, exactly what are they talking about? I assume a quasar is similar to a black hole, so emits little radiation from the main mass. The light from a quasar comes principally from its jets of accelerated material, no? Which means the jet pointed...
  30. HelloCthulhu

    Charge Capacity of an Electrode Based On Its Material

    Recently I've been researching parallel plate capacitors and was wondering what effects the material had on the charge capacity of the plate. I found one source for measuring the capacity based on its material, but haven't seen any textbook evidence to support it yet. Any feedback on the...
  31. K

    Calculating Angle Between E-Field and Current Vectors in Anisotropic Mat.

    In a certain anisotropic conductive material, the relationship between the current density ##\vec j## and the electric field ##\vec E## is given by: ##\vec j = \sigma_0\vec E + \sigma_1\vec n(\vec n\cdot\vec E)## where ##\vec n## is a constant unit vector. i) Calculate the angle between the...
  32. person123

    I Maximum Strain For Samples of Different Cross-Sectional Areas

    I would assume that because the samples are made of the same material they would fail at the same stress and so the same strain. However, the data shows that the sample with a greater cross-sectional area fails at a greater strain, and the two are roughly proportional. Does anyone know what...
  33. preachingpirate24

    Electric Field inside the material of a hollow conducting sphere

    Let's say I place a positive point charge inside a hollow conducting sphere. If we take a Gaussian surface through the material of the conductor, we know the field inside the material of the conductor is 0, which implies that there is a -ve charge on the inner wall to make the net enclosed...
  34. M

    B Can a particle / wave pass through a sheet of material?

    I have heard that if you could make a sheet of material thinner than a wavelength representing a particle and fire particles at it, that particle might be detected on the other side of the sheet material when you try and detect it due to Quantum Tunneling i believe. Does that mean that it's...
  35. N

    Material Models Sources: Ludwik, Holomon, Swift, Wok, etc.

    Who can share the primary sources where material models are formulated: Ludwik, Holomon, Swift, Wok, Ludwikson, Hill and others?
  36. alforwood

    B Can Vibranium Realistically Be Used in Hyperloop Construction?

    Hi, I am an ordinary student who needs data for the Hyperloop essay. I want to investigate about hyperloop's material (although the current hyperloop is more theoretical). I did some research about using vibranium as the main material (can not assure whether that is for a joke or not). So, what...
  37. Arceus74

    Job Skills Getting a Job in Simulation/Modelling with a MSc in Material Science

    Hey guys, I am looking for any insights for getting a job in the simulation or modelling industry with a Masters in Material Science and Engineering. I have worked with composites during my masters and found out I don't have much interest in doing lab testing. I don't have any plans of doing a...
  38. person123

    Lines of Stress in a Material

    I was initially curious by the fact that streamlines around a circle appear the same as the lines of stress around a hole: I understand that streamlines are the contour lines of the stream function ##\psi## which satisfies the Laplace equation. I was wondering there is a related function for...
  39. The-dude

    Static Electricity- Solving Material Placement Issues

    Hello, I'm trying to solve a material placement issue at work and I'm exploring the idea of using static electricity to solve it. We currently combine two materials together using a heat activated glue that's sandwiched between the two materials and pressed together using a heat press...
  40. T

    Kindly tell me the material used to make these blades

    Kindly look at the photo and tell me what kind of materials are used to make the model. I specifically want to know what kind of materials are used to make the blades. I just know that it's made of synthetic resin by a 3D printer. But kindly specify what kind of synthetic resin is used here.
  41. M

    What should I do to specialize in material analysis techniques as a career option?

    Summary:: What should I do to specialize in material analysis techniques as a career option? What should I do to specialize in material analysis techniques as a career option?
  42. MUZE

    Could a blimp shrink into a plane?

    I can imagine a frame within a blimp/hybrid airship so when the hydrogen inside the blimp is recaptured the skin retracts to form a wing. As the blimp travels faster it shrinks, the buoyancy giving way to the lift from its wing shape to a point in which it is no longer a blimp, but a plane. What...
  43. physics4two

    Studying How do you approach lectures and learning the material?

    Hey everyone. I'd like to share some thoughts on a problem that I have because I think it would be interesting to hear how others peoples thoughts on the problem. I'm studying an intense physics/engineering program in terms of workload. Our main form of learning new material in school is...
  44. Mircro

    Material between capacitor plates - viewed as two capacitors in series

    This is a second grade high school problem, translated from my native language. I don't have a problem with calculating, but with understanding the concept. There is an instruction with the assignment that says: The capacitor can be viewed as a combination of two capacitors in series with...
  45. E

    Path of light in material of continuously varying refractive index

    I've been playing around with this for quite some time now this morning but can't get the last bit out. I defined the time functional to be $$T[y] = \int_{x_1}^{x_2} \frac{\sqrt{1+(y')^{2}}}{c(y)} dx$$ which follows from consideration of the time taken to cover an infinitesimal section of arc. I...
  46. A

    Granular Conveyor -- Granular Material acts as a liquid?

    My final year experiment involves vibrating a granular conveyor with the same amplitude at at different frequencies. (See picture for experiment set-up). Between 5-115 Hz, the glass beads bounce erratically. As soon as the frequency hits 120Hz or higher, the beads remain on the surface, and can...
  47. B

    Calculate the density of the material for a vibrating string

    Here is the question that is is given to me Part a: Part b: I have given this a go and was wondering if my answer seems reasonable. I had worked out that the mass per unit length (mu) is also the density * cross sectional area of wire Thanks!
  48. Fra Ser Mur Chie

    Engineering Calculating the damage tolerance of the material

    so I have quickly gone over this, but feel that I am not going in the right direction. I am assuming Y = 1 so, 62 = 164 sqrt Ka given UTS = 164 Mpa Kic = 62 Mpa m1/2 therefor, working for ac, (the damage tolerance of the material) Oa = UTS = 164 Mpa Kic = Y Oa sqrt ac 62 = 1 * 164 *...
  49. hagopbul

    Find Material Science Research: Hagop Bulbulian's Guide

    the paper is on material science and i can't find it any where not on google not any where , could you guide me to a website that i can use to search for it? Гуляшинов А.Н., Хантургаева Г.И., Калинин Ю.О. Сульфидизация церуссита полисульфидами натрия при измельчении окисленной свинцово-цинковой...
  50. C

    Does the resistance of a material vary when introduced into water?

    Suppose we have a copper wire, of resistance R, and we introduce it in water, when applying now a certain potential difference between the two ends, will the intensity that circulates through the wire be the same, and therefore also the resistance ?, is there going to be a potential drop due to...
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