In this Explorations in Materials Science module, students are introduced to the preparation and characterization of a metal (tin), a plastic (polyester), and a ceramic (anchor (very fine) cement). They first prepare the samples by either heating and melting the raw material, in the case of tin, or by a chemical curing process for the polyester resin and anchor cement. After the preparation of the test samples, the students examine their optical and physical characteristics, determine their relative electrical and thermal properties and investigate their mechanical behavior and chemical stability.
Developed by the General Atomics Materials Science team in collaboration with the Institute for Chemical Education (ICE), the Explorations in Materials Science educational module is here: Explorations in Materials Science 

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