116 Engineering Fundamentals Polymers Polymers are materials that are made up of a ong chain of small molecules that form a much larger molecule. The molecules often include carbon and hydrogen atoms. Polymers are organic materials because carbon is an organic element. They are also nonerystalline, unlike metal and ceramics. Polymers can be natural or synthetic. Natural rubber, cellulose, starch, and proteins are all examples of natural polymers. Synthetic poly- ‘mers, however, are much more common. Plastics are the most common type of synthetic polymer. It is difficult to go through your day with- out coming in contact with plastics, Figure 7-11. Plastics are made from the by-products of refin- ing petroleum to make oil and gasoline. Plastics have a number of favorable properties. They are lightweight but strong, as well as easy and fairly inexpensive to process. They can also be used to ‘make thousands of different products. Plastics do have some negative impacts, including environ- mental impacts. There are two main types of plastics: ther- moplastic materials and thermoset materials. Soe Figure 7-12. Thermoplastic materials can be heated, reshaped, and cooled numerous times.