Just a quick, semi-serious question to ponder: The word "plastic" means that something is moldable, that it can undergo a permanent change in shape. (This applies not just to polymers, but to metals and other materials as well. Blacksmiths specialized in the plastic deformation of iron). So consider shape-memory polymers, polymers that can be shaped but then when heated (or otherwise given energy) recover their original shape. Is it proper to call shape-memory polymers "plastic"? (
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