From DNA to Silly Putty, the diverse world of polymers - Jan Mattingly
320,367 Views
13,849 Questions Answered
Let’s Begin…
You are made of polymers, and so are trees and telephones and toys. A
polymer is a long chain of identical molecules (or monomers) with a
range of useful properties, like toughness or stretchiness --
and it turns out, we just can't live without them. Polymers occur both
naturally -- our DNA is a polymer -- and synthetically, like plastic,
Silly Putty and styrofoam. Jan
Mattingly explains how polymers have changed our world.
3 Open Answer Questions Dig Deeper Learn More Discuss 1 Guided Discussion &
1 Open Discussion
Clearly, synthetic polymers make our life easier, but their use has caused environmental problems. What ways can we reduce pollution problems caused by the overuse of synthetic polymers?
Login to answer questionAbout TED-Ed Animations
TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »
Meet The Creators
- Educator Jan Mattingly
- Producer TED-Ed
- Director Franz Palomares
- Animation Artist Godfrey Hibbert
- Narrator Michelle Snow
