The Coming of Materials Science

Robert W. Cahn (Eds.)9780080426792, 0080426794

The Coming of Materials Science both covers the discipline of materials science, and draws an impressionistic map of the present state of the subject.The first chapter examines the emergence of the materials science concept, in both academe and industry. The second and third chapters delve back into the prehistory of materials science, examining the growth of such concepts as atoms, crystals and thermodynamics, and also examine the evolution of a number of neighbouring disciplines, to see what helpful parallels might emerge.The book contains numerous literature references. Many refer to the earliest key papers and books, while others are to sources, often books, offering a view of the present state of a topic. Early references are to the past but as the book continues, it brings the reader up to date with more recent sources.The author, Professor Robert Cahn FRS, has striven to be critical about the history of the discipline of materials science and to draw general conclusions about scientific practice from what he has discovered about the evolution of materials science. Further issues that the book highlights include: What is a scientific discipline? How do disciplines merge and differentiate? Can a discipline also be interdisciplinary? Is materials science a real discipline? A large range of themes is presented in the book and readers are invited to interact with the author if they reach alternative conclusions. This book is not just for reading and reference, but exists to stimulate thought and provoke discussion as well.

---

Table of contents :
Content:
This book is dedicated to the memory ofprofessor DANIEL HANSON (1892–1953) of Birmingham university who played a major role in modernising the teaching of Metallurgy and thereby helped clear the ground for the emergence of materials science
Page iii

Preface
Pages vii-viii
Robert Cahn

Acknowledgments
Pages ix-x
Robert Cahn

Chapter 1 Introduction
Pages 3-17

Chapter 2 The Emergence of Disciplines Original Research Article
Pages 21-54

Chapter 3 Precursors of Materials Science Original Research Article
Pages 57-156

Chapter 4 The virtues of subsidiarity Original Research Article
Pages 159-185

Chapter 5 The Escape from Handwaving Original Research Article
Pages 189-210

Chapter 6 Characterisation Original Research Article
Pages 213-249

Chapter 7 Functional Materials Original Research Article
Pages 253-304

Chapter 8 The polymer revolution Original Research Article
Pages 307-339

Chapter 9 Craft turned into science Original Research Article
Pages 343-389

Chapter 10 Materials in extreme states Original Research Article
Pages 393-422

Chapter 11 Materials Chemistry and Biomimetics Original Research Article
Pages 425-461

Chapter 12 Computer simulation Original Research Article
Pages 465-488

Chapter 13 The management of data Original Research Article
Pages 491-499

Chapter 14 The institutions and literature of materials science Original Research Article
Pages 503-536

Chapter 15 Epilogue
Pages 539-541

Name index
Pages 543-558

Subject index
Pages 559-568

Corrigenda
Pages 569-571