Magic Materials

When something seems to defy our understanding of how the world works, we would call it magical. Throughout human history, development of new materials was associated with magic because it made things that were formerly impossible or incomprehensible possible. The durability of a steel tool must have seemed magical for the bronze age worker. The Internet, instant access to all information of humankind at the touch of a button would have been incomprehensible a hundred years ago.This class will talk about the magic materials people encountered throughout history, what equates to magic materials today and how might they shape our future.