ABSTRACT
The fact that energy means power is by no means a recent finding, and the way in which man has shaped his mastery over materials is proof of it. For economic reasons, civilizations began to transform materials back in remote antiquity. Today, the science of new materials is the cradle of a colossal field of activity, and it is instrumental in determining tomorrow's economy. For the materials specialist the term ceramic signifies a solid which is neither metal nor polymer, but can contain metallic or polymeric elements in the form of components or additives. As technology progresses, ceramics are elaborated from very different raw materials than those characterizing earlier processes and some of these new materials do not exist in a natural state. The argument that, as materials science progresses and more intensive use is made of new alloys and ceramics, the weight of cars and other engines will decrease, is very shortsighted.
