Caveat Academy course · Grades 9 to 12

Materials Science

A semester on why things bend, snap, rust and last: how atoms bond and pack into crystals, how to compute stress and strain and read a tensile test, why alloys and heat treatment make steel strong, why glass shatters and plastics soften, what composites, semiconductors and smart materials can do, and how engineers choose materials, size parts safely and recycle them. Six modules at your own pace, with a check in every lesson and a certificate at the end.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $19

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the High school electives library, $119 for 66 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 13 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: What materials are made of

    Explain how bonding and crystal structure produce the typical properties of metals, ceramics, polymers and composites, and compute atoms per unit cell and density.

    • The families of materials
    • How atoms bond
    • Crystals and how atoms pack
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Stretching, bending and breaking

    Compute stress, strain and elastic stretch, read a stress-strain curve, and distinguish stiffness, strength, hardness, ductility and toughness.

    • Stress and strain
    • Elastic behavior and stiffness
    • Strength, ductility, hardness and toughness
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Metals and alloys

    Explain how defects, alloying, cold working and heat treatment change metals, and how coatings and sacrificial metals prevent corrosion.

    • Defects: why metals bend
    • Alloys and steel
    • Heat treatment and corrosion
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Ceramics, glass and polymers

    Explain brittle fracture in ceramics and glass, classify polymers by structure, and evaluate options for plastic waste.

    • Ceramics and glass
    • Polymers
    • Plastics and the environment
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Composites and advanced materials

    Estimate composite stiffness, compute thermal expansion, and explain doping, nanoscale effects and smart materials.

    • Composites
    • Electrical and thermal properties
    • Nanomaterials and smart materials
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Choosing, testing and reusing materials

    Select materials using specific properties, size a part with a factor of safety, analyze failures and weigh life-cycle impacts.

    • Choosing the right material
    • How materials fail
    • Life cycles and sustainability
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 1 · Crystals and how atoms pack

Worked example: density of copper from its crystal

  1. Copper is FCC, with 4 atoms per cell, and the cell edge is 0.3615 nanometers, which is 3.615 × 10⁻⁸ centimeters.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Academics · High School$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished semester of materials science: you can explain a material's behavior from its bonding and crystal structure and compute a density from a unit cell, compute stress, strain and elastic stretch and read a stress-strain curve, explain how alloying, cold working and heat treatment strengthen metals and how galvanizing stops rust, explain why glass breaks at a scratch and how plastics differ, estimate a composite's stiffness and a bridge's thermal expansion, choose a material by specific stiffness, size a rod with a factor of safety and weigh recycling choices. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 9 to 12 who like taking things apart, are taking or preparing for chemistry, physics or an engineering class, or are thinking about careers in engineering, manufacturing, aerospace, medical devices or recycling; homeschool families who want a complete semester unit. Home activities use paper clips, rubber bands, plastic containers and kitchen items, with no heat or flames.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 144 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 13 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the High school electives library ($119) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The High School space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. William D. Callister and David G. Rethwisch, Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction, the standard university text whose sequence this course follows in simplified form (any recent edition)
  2. DoITPoMS teaching and learning packages, University of Cambridge, free lessons on crystal structures, dislocations, fatigue and composites: doitpoms.ac.uk
  3. The Nobel Prize in Physics 2010, on graphene: nobelprize.org
  4. United States Environmental Protection Agency, facts and figures about materials, waste and recycling: epa.gov
  5. The Aluminum Association, on recycling and energy savings: aluminum.org

Materials Science is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It follows the sequence of a typical one-semester high school materials science elective but does not replace a school course or supervised lab work and awards no credit. Property values such as moduli and expansion coefficients are typical rounded figures; real values vary with composition and processing. Worked design problems are practice exercises, not engineering advice for a real structure. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.