This chapter discusses the foundational principles of materials science. It begins with a review of the periodic table and the fundamental particles, including atoms, ions, and molecules, that constitute matter. It also reviews the types of bonds that form between atoms and the relative levels of force they produce. It describes the difference between crystalline and noncrystalline or amorphous materials and discusses common crystal structures, including face-centered cubic, body-centered cubic, hexagonal close packed, and diamond cubic. It also describes the structure of sodium chloride and includes a list of structurally similar compounds.

The mechanical behavior of a material, in the most practical sense, is how it deforms or breaks under load; in other words, how it responds when stressed. This chapter provides a brief review of the properties associated with mechanical behavior, including stress, strain, elasticity, plastic deformation, ductility, hardness, creep, fatigue, and fracture. It also describes the primary components of a Charpy impact tester and the role they serve.

This chapter describes the properties and uses of aluminum, magnesium, titanium, and other nonferrous alloys. It also discusses the effect of cold working and the process of annealing, including recovery, recrystallization, and grain growth.

This chapter discusses ferrous metals, including low-carbon steels, stainless steels, and cast irons. It also provides information on hardening and hardenability and the tempering process.

This chapter discusses the composition, properties, and uses of crystalline ceramics, glasses, clay, and concrete mixes. It also discusses the carbon structure of diamond, graphite, fullerenes, and nanotubes.

This chapter discusses the structural classifications, molecular configuration, degradation, properties, and uses of polymers. It describes thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers, degree of polymerization, branching, cross-linking, and copolymers. It also discusses glass transition temperatures, additives, and the effect of stretching on thermoplastics.

This chapter discusses the properties and uses of fiber-reinforced composites. It also describes the effect of volume fraction and fiber length.

This chapter examines the properties, structure, and applications of wood and wood products, including plywood, paper, and cardboard. It discusses the dimensional changes that occur due to moisture content and compares several types of wood based on radial and tangential shrinkage.

This chapter discusses the formation and control of aqueous corrosion in iron and steel. It also provides information on passivation, stress corrosion, rust, and direct oxidation.

This appendix defines common SI units and standard prefixes.

Phases are distinct states of aggregation of matter and one of the primary leverage points for understanding and applying materials. This chapter discusses the phase nature of metals and alloys, the concept of solid solutions, and the use of phase diagrams. It also describes some of the metallurgical effects of freezing or solidification, including the segregation of solutes and the formation of metal glasses.

This chapter examines some of the behaviors that suit materials for electrical and electronic applications. It begins by explaining how charge carriers move in metals and semiconductors and how properties such as conductivity, mobility, and resistivity are derived. It discusses the significance of energy bands, intrinsic and extrinsic conduction, and the properties of compound semiconductors. It also covers semiconductor devices, including p-n junctions, light emitting diodes, transistors, and piezoelectric crystals.

This chapter is a review of magnetic materials and how they behave. It begins by discussing the significance of ferromagnetism and comparing the Curie temperature of several ferromagnetic elements. It then discusses the concept of magnetic domains and illustrates how flux paths, and magnetostatic energy, vary based on the size of the domain. It also discusses the process of magnetization and compares and contrasts hard and soft magnetic materials.

This chapter describes the processes, applications, and limitations of forming and shaping various materials. It discusses bulk forming, hot working, cold working, sheet forming, and polymer and powder processing.

This chapter discusses recycling processes used for metals, plastics, rubber, glass, and paper. Is also describes the advantages of recycled materials.

This appendix contains a list of Greek letters used in materials science and engineering and what they represent.

This appendix provides a list of unit conversions and defines several constants along with their symbol and unit value.

This appendix contains a table listing the symbol, atomic number, atomic weight, melting temperature, density, atomic radius, and crystal structure of various elements.

This appendix contains a table listing density, thermal conductivity, linear expansion, electrical resistivity, and Young's modulus of various materials.

This appendix is a list of abbreviations for common SI units.