What is rubber? Detailed answer

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What is rubber? Detailed answer

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What is rubber?

Rubber has been around for as long as nature itself. The fossilized remains of rubber trees that have been found are almost 3 million years old! Raw rubber balls found among the ruins of the Inca and Mayan civilizations in Central and South America are at least 900 years old.

During his second voyage to the Americas, Columbus saw that the inhabitants of Haiti were playing with a ball made from "tree sap". But even before that, the natives of Southeast Asia knew about rubber (rubber), made from the "sap" of trees, with which they coated their baskets and jugs to make them waterproof!

Rubber is found in 400 different trees and shrubs. But the amount of rubber in different plants is not the same, therefore it is unprofitable to obtain rubber from such plants as, for example, dandelion, spurge, wormwood.

Rubber is a sticky, elastic solid that is made from a whitish liquid called "latex" that is different from tree sap. Latex is found in the bark, roots, stem, branches, leaves, and fruits of plants and trees. But most of all it is under the bark of the branches and trunk of rubber plants.

Latex consists of the smallest particles of liquid, solid particles, and other impurities. Only about 33% of latex is rubber, the rest is water. The rubber particles in latex are brought together to form a rubber ball.

Rubber plants grow best no further than 10 degrees from the equator to the north and south, so the 1300 km wide strip on both sides of the equator is known as the "rubber belt". The fact is that rubber plants require a very warm, humid climate and fertile soil. Most of the rubber comes from Hevea brasiliensis. By its name, it can be assumed that the tree was first discovered in Brazil. At present, almost 96% of the world production of natural rubber comes from plantations of these trees, they are grown in many countries of the rubber belt.

Among Europeans, the first to manufacture goods from rubber were, apparently, the French, who began to manufacture suspenders and garters around 1800.

Author: Likum A.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

How does a kangaroo jump?

Kangaroos are one of the strangest and most ancient animal species on Earth. We know that hundreds of thousands of years ago there was a species of kangaroo almost the size of a horse! Today, kangaroos can be found in Australia, which is sometimes called "Kangaroo Country", and the image of a kangaroo is even on the coat of arms of this country.

The kangaroo is the most famous of the marsupials. A mother kangaroo carries her cubs in a fur sack located between her hind legs on her stomach, and feeds them there. Kangaroos live in this bag for quite a long time.

At birth, a kangaroo is a tiny, pink, hairless lump of just over an inch! Mom puts him in a bag immediately after birth, and the cub is completely helpless for some time. But by the age of six months, he already reaches the size of a puppy. He moves around in a bag, sticking out only his head.

When the mother stops to eat tree branches, the young kangaroo also picks the leaves and eats itself. Even after the kangaroo has learned to walk and run, he likes to stay in a warm, safe bag. And when danger threatens, the mother jumps up to him, grabs him with her lips without stopping, and gently lowers him into the bag. An adult kangaroo can be up to two meters tall. It has short front legs and very long hind legs. These powerful hind legs allow the kangaroo to jump from 3 to 4,5 meters in length! To support and maintain balance while jumping, the kangaroo uses its large, long tail.

In Australia, kangaroos are hunted because they destroy crops. Their meat is eaten, and a good, strong skin is made from the skin. Protection against danger for kangaroos is their speed and keen hearing, which allows them to hear an approaching enemy from afar.

When a kangaroo is baited by hunting dogs, he can grab the dog with his front paws and kill him with one blow from his hind paw!

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Prospects for the development of smart watches 03.08.2013

Many analysts believe that at first, such devices will be used to monitor the health of the user. The watch can measure the user's blood pressure and pulse by transmitting the data to a smartphone. Foxconn introduced a similar technology last month. However, there are various fitness bracelets even now.

Obviously, smartwatches will offer more functionality. In particular, they can act as a companion device for a smartphone or tablet. Various notifications can be displayed on the watch screen, saving the user from having to get their smartphone out of the bag, which is quite problematic, given the dimensions of modern devices. "It's much more convenient to just look at your wrist and see phone calls, messages, tweets or other notifications on your watch," says Angela McIntyre, analyst at Gartner. In addition, with the help of "smart" watches, you can control some of the functions of the smartphone: music playback, turn the silent mode on or off, and so on. Angela also believes that smart watches may have a built-in microphone for voice commands and for "quick" answers to phone calls.

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Surveys have shown that on average, people check their smartphones 20 times per hour. "People are constantly checking their smartphones, but it would be easier to check their watches. There is a user interest in smartwatches that are lightweight and comfortable," McIntyre said.

Analysts also believe that many well-known watch manufacturers will want to participate in the production of "smart" watches. This will also be useful for electronics manufacturers, as for many users, a watch is a fashion accessory, not a functional device.

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