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= The Perfect Material? = Why does change occur? Do we want change? Is there any thing or any time that is perfect? You will address these questions as you critique and analyze the motivation and reasons for continuous product development. In particular, you will learn the process of defining product design criteria, evaluating the affects of materials and making decisions on product improvement.

Unit Summary
The study of material science looks at what “stuff” is made of, all the way down to the atomic-level structure. You will gain understanding of how that “stuff” is put together, how it can be used and changed to improve performance or developed to achieve innovative tasks.

You will research the history of a product, including when and who created or manufactured the invention, analyze past material(s) used and determine its impact on the product design, society and the environment. During the process, you will learn that materials are made up of elements from the Periodic Table and will be able to use the Periodic Table to describe how atoms combine in differing ways to create compounds with varying material properties and characteristics.

Integrating science and technology, you assume the role of a Product Designer and a Material Scientist in a Product Development team and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of commonly used materials spanning from metals to polymers among other topics. Your team will then decide the design criteria of your product, research, analyze and determine what material(s) would be most effective. The assessment includes synthesizing your understanding and delivering a presentation that shows the optimal material, design and its affect on the environment.