Ball, David W.. Great Courses Audio.

Great courses

Lecturer: David W Ball

Matter is the raw material of the universe. Discover how the immense variety of matter - stars, mountains, plants, people - is generated by a limited number of chemical elements that combine in simple, well-defined ways. Consider carbon, a relatively common atom with many faces: diamond, which is the hardest known mineral; graphite, which is among the softest known substances; and carbon nanotubes, which are 300 times stronger than steel and have remarkable electrical properties. In the 24 engaging lectures of The Nature of Matter, no scientific background is needed to appreciate such miracles of everyday life as a bouncing rubber ball or water's astonishing power to dissolve. Moreover, the study of matter has led directly to such inventions as semiconductor circuits for computers, new fabrics for clothes, and powerful adhesives for medicine and industry. These discoveries were hard won by scientific sleuths, but we can all sit back and enjoy the details - just as we delight in the solution to a good detective story. Since prehistoric times, knowledge of materials has driven the development of civilization. The Stone Age was succeeded by the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Industrial Age, and now the age of silicon - the element that is the basis of the semiconductor revolution. Where will new methods and materials take us next? Professor Ball notes that the "fun part about being a chemist is that we still have lots of combinations of these raw materials to explore". Join this outstanding teacher and researcher on this exciting journey of discovery into the substance of everyday life. All Lectures: 1. Matter, Energy, and Entropy 2. The Nature of Light and Matter 3. A New Theory of Matter 4. The Structure of Atoms and Molecules 5. The Stellar Atom-Building Machine 6. The Amazing Periodic Table 7. Ionic versus Covalent Matter 8. The Versatile Element: Carbon 9. The Strange Behavior of Water 10. Matter in Solution 11. Interactions: Adhesion and Cohesion 12. Surface Energy: The Interfaces among Us 13. The Eloquent Chemistry of Carbon Compounds 14. Materials for Body Implants 15. The Chemistry of Food and Drink 16. Fuels and Explosives 17. The Air We Breathe 18. Materials: The Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages 19. Again and Again: Polymers 20. Recycling Materials 21. Resistance Is Futile: Superconductors 22. Resistance Is Useful: Semiconductors 23. Out of Many, One: Composites 24. The Future of Materials

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