Plastic
hidePlastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic amorphous solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular weight, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce costs.
The word derives from the Greek πλαστικός (plastikos) meaning fit for molding, and πλαστός (plastos) meaning molded. It refers to their malleability, or plasticity during manufacture, that allows them to be cast, pressed, or extruded into an enormous variety of shapes—such as films, fibers, plates, tubes, bottles, boxes, and much more.
The common word plastic should not be confused with the technical adjective plastic, which is applied to any material which undergoes a permanent change of shape (plastic deformation) when strained beyond a certain point. Aluminum, for instance, is plastic in this sense, but not a plastic in the common sense; while some plastics, in their finished forms, will break before deforming and therefore are not plastic in the technical sense.
There are two types of plastics: thermoplastics and thermosets. Thermoplastics, if exposed to enough heat, will melt. Thermosets will keep their shape until they are charred and burnt. Some examples of thermoplastics are grocery bags, piano keys and some automobile parts. Examples of thermosets are children's dinner sets and circuit boards.
For more information about Plastic, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with plastic
Japan mines toxic e-waste for precious materials
Dec 17, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (7) |
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Seeking to turn an environmental problem into an economic opportunity, high-tech companies in resource-poor Japan are mining mountains of toxic e-waste for precious materials.
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Potatoes, algae replace oil in US company's plastics
23 hours ago |
3.7 / 5 (15) |
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Frederic Scheer is biding his time, convinced that by 2013 the price of oil will be so high that his bio-plastics, made from vegetables and plants, will be highly marketable.
Warming climate chills Sonoran Desert's spring flowers
Dec 16, 2009 |
3.2 / 5 (9) |
3
Global warming is giving a boost to Sonoran Desert plants that have an edge during cold weather, according to new research.
Tiny whispering gallery: Sensor can detect a single nanoparticle and take its measurement
Dec 18, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (16) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Nanotechnology has already made it to the shelves of your local pharmacy and grocery: nanoparticles are found in anti-odor socks, makeup, makeup remover, sunscreen, anti-graffiti paint, home ...
Astronauts to carry Christmas cheer to ISS
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 19, 2009 |
5 / 5 (3) |
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Despite being separated from their families, astronauts heading to the International Space Station next week are excited to be spending Christmas in space, a crew member said Saturday.
Organic flash memory developed
Dec 17, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (20) |
3
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a non-volatile memory that has the same basic structure as a flash memory but is made from cheap, flexible, organic materials.
Health Care bill clears key Senate test
23 hours ago |
3.2 / 5 (5) |
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(AP) -- Landmark health care legislation backed by President Barack Obama passed its sternest Senate test in the pre-dawn hours early Monday, overcoming Republican delaying tactics on a 60-40 vote that all ...
Next generation lens promises more control
Dec 20, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (22) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Duke University engineers have created a new generation of lens that could greatly improve the capabilities of telecommunications or radar systems to provide a wide field of view and greater ...
Review: Netbooks meet luxury in ultra-light Sony
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Dec 16, 2009 |
3 / 5 (3) |
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(AP) -- Netbooks have been a hit among laptop buyers because they're cheap and they're easy to carry. Now there's the option to pay a lot more and get a lot less - a lot less weight, that is.
Many take dim view of new-fangled Christmas lights
17 hours ago |
1 / 5 (4) |
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(AP) -- To Steven Walls, it's beginning to look nothing like Christmas, anywhere he goes.
In a first, key pancreatic cells inserted in wounded airman's liver
Dec 17, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (4) |
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In what medical officials say is a first, the bullet-scarred pancreas from a service member who was shot in Afghanistan was flown from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington to the University of Miami, where insulin-producing ...
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