Aluminum Foil
Bread
Snowboards
Contact Lenses
Compact Discs
100

This clay-like, reddish mineral is the primary ore mined from the earth that we use to ultimately make aluminum foil.

Bauxite

100

This stretchy protein is formed when flour and water are mixed together, acting like a net to trap gas and make your dough rise.

Gluten

100

The bottom sliding surface of the board that helps you glide over the snow is made of this durable, slick plastic material.

P-Tex

100

This popular, cost-effective manufacturing method involves heating plastic polymers until they melt, then injecting them into precise molds.

Injection modeling

100

To start making a CD, a laser burns data onto a special, perfectly smooth _ _ _ _ _ master disc instead of directly onto plastic.

Glass

200

In the smelting process used to get pure metallic aluminum, powerful electricity is passed through the liquid alumina in a method named after scientists Charles Hall and Paul-Louis-Toussaint Héroult.

The Hall-Héroult Process

200

During this bubbly step, hungry yeast feeds on sugars in the dough to create carbon dioxide gas and alcohol.

Proofing
200

These pieces are glued to the edges of the board's base so riders can dig into the snow and control their turns.

Steel edges

200

Before they are soaked in a saline solution to become soft and pliable, contact lenses made by lathing are called these.

Buttons

200

The main, thick layer of a compact disc is made of this tough, see-through plastic, which is the same strong material used to make bulletproof glass.

Polycarbonate

300

Before it becomes paper-thin, the molten metal is cooled into giant rectangular blocks. In factory terms, these heavy blocks are called...

Ingots

300

Instead of cutting, a baker will make these shallow cuts on the top of the dough right before baking to let the bread expand without tearing.

Scoring

300

This type of organic material is the most common center for a snowboard because it is lightweight, strong, and flexible. Popular types include poplar, bamboo, and beech.

Wood

300

Invented by Czech chemist Otto Wichterle, this mass-production method uses centrifugal force to shape liquid polymers inside a revolving mold.

Spin casting

300

Instead of writing music on paper, a CD machine stamps a spiral path of billions of tiny bumps into the plastic, known by these two rhyming terms.

Pits and Lands

400

During the final "double rolling" step, two sheets of aluminum are passed through the rollers together. Because the inner sides touch each other while the outer sides touch the steel, it creates one shiny side and one side with this type of finish.

A matte finish

400

In a basic recipe, this ingredient is added not just for flavor, but to slow down the yeast and keep the dough from rising too fast.

Salt

400

These threaded metal parts are built right into the wood core so riders can securely screw in their bindings.

Inserts

400

This water-absorbing plastic polymer is the primary material used to create modern soft contact lenses.

Hydrogel

400

Once the plastic CD is formed, this shiny metal is vacuum-sprayed over the bumps so a CD player's laser can bounce off it and read the data.

Aluminum

500

After being stretched, the foil is baked in a large furnace for 48 to 72 hours. This heat-treating step cleans off machine oils and makes the metal much softer and tougher.

Annealing

500

You know a loaf of bread is fully baked when you tap the bottom and hear this specific type of sound.

A hollow sound

500

This strong, sticky glue is spread between every layer of the snowboard—like the wood and fiberglass—before the board gets pressed.

Epoxy

500

During the lathe-cutting process, this precision material is used on a spinning shaft (up to 6,000 RPM) to carve the curves of the lens.

Industrial diamond

500

The final step before printing a label on the top of the disc involves coating the shiny metal layer with this protective clear liquid to keep it safe from scratches.

Varnish

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