|
Polymers
Today, space age polymers can be found everywhere.
What are space age polymers? you may ask? Basically, these
consist of individual tiny repeating units, linked by covalent
bonds. What are covalent bonds? you may ask? Covalent
bonds are when two atoms share an electron and in this way
form a molecule. The point is that polymers can be found everywhere
and with everybody at any place, almost anytime, anywhere.
They are SO IMPORTANT it's terrific.
Back to
polymers. Polymers have many many different uses. The main
use is plastic fabrics. If you were to take all of the nylon
dog collars in all the world, do you know what you would have?
You guessed it Polymers. These types of polymers are called
thermoplastics abnd they are the most famous type of space
age polymers. When heated, they melt and form melted fabric.
There are also all kinds of other nylon products that are
also thermoplastics that you use like nylon dog leashes, nylon
tennis shoe pieces, nylon bracelets, nylon bags, nylon headgear,
and all kinds of nylon notebook binders. These things are
probably the most important offshoot of the nasa space program
because what can you honestly do in space anyway? But you
do ALL KINDS OF THINGS EVERYDAY, with nylon dog collars, for
example. This is a useful way to make technology work for
us.
To finish,
polymers are the way of the past and they are the way of the
future. The space age may be over but the polymer age is definately
here to stay so the next time you go to open your notebook
binder and you feel some kind of sort of rough sort of smooth
fabric think to yourself this is a polymer.
|