the.com/polymer
nature's copy-paste: tiny links repeated until they become almost everything you touch
means A polymer is a large molecule built from many small, repeating units chained together, forming materials from plastics and rubber to proteins and DNA.
from Coined in the 19th century from the Greek 'polys' (many) plus 'meros' (part) — literally 'many parts.' The Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius is credited with introducing the term, though his original sense differed from how we use it today; only later did 'polymer' settle into meaning a molecule made of many repeated subunits, called 'monomers' (single parts) from the same Greek roots.
- in you
- DNA and proteins are biological polymers
- first synthetic
- Bakelite, born 1907, kicked off plastics
- chain length
- a single molecule can hold millions of units
- silly proof
- Silly Putty is a flowing polymer that bounces
- recycling code
- those triangle numbers identify the polymer type
polyethylene terephthalate — most common plastic for bottles, used in over 500 billion pet bottles annually worldwide
polystyrene foam — expanded polystyrene (styrofoam), used in food containers and packaging since 1941
polyvinyl chloride — pvc pipes, medical tubing, and vinyl records; third most produced polymer globally
polypropylene — automotive parts, food containers, and medical devices; second most produced plastic by volume