Making things has been an essential activity of human civilizations since before recorded history. Today, the term manufacturing is used for this activity. For technological and economic reasons, manufacturing is important to the welfare of the United States and most other developed and developing nations. Technology can be defined as the application of science to provide society and its members with those things that are needed or desired. Technology affects our daily lives, directly and indirectly, in many ways. Consider the list of products in Table 1.1. They represent various technologies that help society and its members to live better. What do all these products have in common? They are all manufactured. These technological wonders would not be available to society if they could not be manufactured. Manufacturing is the critical factor that makes technology possible.