what's the difference between plastic and rubber?

Answer 1

Originally, plastic was made from petroleum, and rubber was made from the sap of the rubber tree. Modern science has found ways of making synthetic rubber from petroleum, though, so that distinction is not very useful anymore. Basically, rubbers are usually thought to be more elastic than plastics; however, plastics can be quite elastic as well.

Answer 2

There are many kinds of both and many differences between them. Natural rubber is made from latex, the sap of a rubber tree, but there are synthetic substances which behave like it.
Plastics are often made from oil, and have a wide range of properties, chosen to suit the end use. For example, for strength, transparency, flexibility.
Another difference is that rubber is renewable, assuming more trees are planted. Plastics derrived from oil will eventually run out.

Answer 3

In layman's terms 'At an ambient temperature Plastic materials are hard and non deformable where as rubbers are deformable.'

Plastic and rubber are definitions which have been used since the first synthesis of long chain carbon based chemicals (polymers) as such there descriptions are skewed compared to modern day polymers.

Thermoplastics can display Plastic and Rubbery phases as when at room temperature they are hard and non deformable where as if you heat them up they get into there rubber phase (post Tm).
Thermosets can only display Plastic phases as they have a set structure so can not deform at any temperature.

Inversely if you chill a rubber enough it will display a plastic phase.

The Main difference is how the can be manipulated at a certain temperature usually ambient (room).


Plastic and Rubber can be MAN ufactured.

Answer 4

Plastics are a specific class of compounds called polymers. They are made from repeating units called monomers (eg styrene goes to polystyrene). Now there can be anything between 20,000 to 100,000 and sometimes more, of these repeating units. Rubber is also a form of polymer, made up of thousands of isoprene chains. From a chemical standpoint, it fulfills all the definitions of a plastic. So perhaps it is accurate to say that rubber is merely a form of plastic, albeit one that can be created from natural latex.

Answer 5

Plastic is a man-made substance. Rubber literally grows on trees!

Answer 6

Plastic is made from oil. Rubber is the sap of a special tree.

Answer 7

Plastic is `Man made`, Rubber is `Natural`.

Answer 8

Plastic is manufactured from petroleum by-products. Real rubber is naturally occuring and comes from the sap of the rubber tree.

Answer 9

I suppose the main one is that plastic is man made and rubber is a natural substance?

Answer 10

A plastic curry comb can be used for removing dried mud and also for cleaning other brushes. A rubber curry comb is used for massaging you horse and is particularly good for when you horse is losing its winter coat! You should have both in your grooming kit.