The importance of materials to civilization is attested to by the names we give to various eras (Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age). We do not consider present times in terms of one specific material because so many are vital, including steel. The computer age would not be possible without silicon in computer chips.

Most introductory texts on materials science and engineering start with topics that are not of great interest to most engineers: atomic bonding, crystal structures, Miller indices. This introductory materials text differs from others because it is written primarily for engineers. It is shorter than most other materials texts so that it can easily be covered in one term. Emphasis is on mechanical and electrical properties of interest to most engineers. Thermal, optical, and magnetic behaviors are also covered. In addition, processing is treated in some detail.

Topics like X-ray diffraction, Miller indices, dislocations and coordination in compounds, surfaces, average molecular weights, Avrami kinetics, and Weibull analysis, which are of great interest to materials scientists but of little interest to most engineers, are covered only in the appendices. There is also an appendix on wood. There is no treatment of crystal systems, the Hall effect, or ferroelectricity.

After an introductory chapter, the text starts with phases and phase diagrams. This is followed by a chapter on diffusion, which treats diffusion in multiphase as well as single-phase systems. The next several chapters on mechanical behavior and failure should be of particular interest to mechanical engineers.