Editing Natural science (section)

===Materials science===
{{Main|Materials science}}
[[File:Materials science tetrahedron;structure, processing, performance, and proprerties.svg|thumb|The materials paradigm represented as a tetrahedron]]
Materials science is a relatively new, interdisciplinary field that deals with the study of [[matter]] and its properties and the discovery and design of new materials. Originally developed through the field of [[metallurgy]], the study of the properties of materials and solids has now expanded into all materials. The field covers the chemistry, physics, and engineering applications of materials, including metals, ceramics, artificial polymers, and many others. The field's core deals with relating the structure of materials with their properties.

Materials science is at the forefront of research in science and engineering. It is an essential part of [[forensic engineering]] (the investigation of materials, products, structures, or components that fail or do not operate or function as intended, causing personal injury or damage to property) and [[failure analysis]], the latter being the key to understanding, for example, the cause of various aviation accidents. Many of the most pressing scientific problems that are faced today are due to the limitations of the materials that are available, and, as a result, breakthroughs in this field are likely to have a significant impact on the future of technology.

The basis of materials science involves studying the structure of materials and relating them to their [[property|properties]]. Understanding this structure-property correlation, material scientists can then go on to study the relative performance of a material in a particular application. The major determinants of the structure of a material and, thus, of its properties are its constituent chemical elements and how it has been processed into its final form. These characteristics, taken together and related through the laws of [[thermodynamics]] and [[kinetics (physics)|kinetics]], govern a material's [[microstructure]] and thus its properties.