Importance of Metals
Metals play an important role in our everyday lives, being used to fabricate artefacts ranging from buildings, bridges, cars to paperclips and electronic circuitry.
The impact of metals on civilisation can be seen in the classification of the ages of mankind, with the chronological pogression from stone age, bronze age, iron age. As technology was developed to manufacture tools from first stone and flint, and then developing to the point where rocks could be tranformed into new materials to make superior tools.
Although the present age is often referred to as the silicon age because of the impact of silicon it is a mistake to think that metals are now less important to the way we live our lives. Familiarity means that metals are often overlooked.
The modern science of metallurgy
The application of modern scientific methods to the study of metals leads to greater understanding of the behaviour of metals and alloys. Greater understanding means improved control of the manufacture and use of metal objects.