Resumen de The Influence of Solidification Techniques on the History of Material Culture
Most advances in material culture have occurred when people discover a new way to take some raw material from the natural environment, make it into a fluid for easy shaping, and then convert it into a rigid solid for durability and usefulness. The fluid-to-solid conversion is critical for this technology. In some cases it involves a physical change; in other cases a chemical change. When the change is physical, the solid material is easily returned to the fluid state for recycling. This article describes three methods of solidification that have major importance in the material culture of today. Each method is illustrated with a survey of the history and chemistry of two or three classes of materials commonly used for manufacture and construction.
