Page 5 - Curriculum Visions Dynamic Book
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How ceramics are formed
The atoms in a ceramic material are held together in two ways: Neighbouring atoms may share electrons (this is called covalent bonding), or they may be held together by electrical attraction (called ionic bonding). Both of these types of bond are very strong. In general, it is their strong bonding that gives ceramics their property of hardness, and that also prevents them from changing shape and so makes them brittle.
(Above, left, and below)
Natural flint – silicon dioxide – can be broken and cemented into a wall to make a durable and decorative finish. Flint is found as nodules in chalk rock. It can also be fractured to produce a durable and extremely sharp edge, something the Stone Age peoples discovered. The hand
ax is among the earliest tools used by mankind.
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