Materials - Which is better: Man made or Natural?

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Materials: Which is better: Man made or Natural?

Students like myself need to know what materials are available, how they behave in use and how they can be worked or processed during manufacture and construction. Having a good understanding of these will help me to select suitable materials for my products.

In choosing materials for a particular project, I will need to consider their physical and working properties, so that I am able to decide which material is best and which method of processing is required in order to turn raw materials into finished products.

I have to use a procedure called product analysis. This involves analysing and existing product in order to identify the materials that have been used, the properties that make them suitable for the task for which they have been designed as well as an awareness of the processes used in their manufacture, construction and assembly. All man-made materials are derived from one or several naturally found materials.

History of materials

Early human history is divided into eras named after the materials that were predominantly used at the time. The Stone Age, Copper age, Bronze Age and Iron Age suggest how