Why are rubber bands elastic? How are rubber bands made? This science project tested how the elasticity of rubber bands are affected in different temperatures. The elasticity of rubber bands was tested at room, heated, and cooled temperatures using washers to as the weight to make them stretch. The science project proved that a heated rubber band was more elastic than a room or cooled temperature rubber band. The ancient Mayans were the first people to use the sap from a rubber tree, also called latex, for various things. When the sap from a rubber tree is left out, the air makes it harden into a springy mass. They mixed the sap with juice from morning glory vines to make it more durable and elastic. They used the latex to make rubber balls, hollow human figures, and as a type of rope to tie their axe heads to their handles. The rubber tree was a very important part of the ancient Mayan people’s lives. Native people in this region still make rubber the same way the Ancient Mayans did. (The History of Elastic and Rubber Bands par. 1) Thomas Hancock was and English inventor that started the British rubber industry. He invented a machine called the masticator. It was a wooden machine that used a hollow cylinder studded with teeth. Inside the cylinder was a studded core that was hand cranked. It’s a machine that shredded rubber into pieces. This allowed rubber to be used for various things. Thomas Hancock patented thing like elastic fasteners for gloves, suspenders, shoes, and stockings. In 1821, Thomas Hancock worked with a Scottish chemist named Charles Macintosh. He was an inventor of waterproof fabrics. Together they made waterproof coats that were called Mackintoshes. They were named after Charles Macintosh. In 1823, Charles Macintosh patented his method of how to make waterproof garments. He used rubber that was dissolved in col-tar naphtha to cement two pieces of cloth together. In 1837, Thomas Hancock finally decided to patent his masticator machine. The masticated rubber that Hancock’s machine created was used for cushions, mattresses, pillows, hose, tubing, solid tires, shoes, packing and springs. Thomas Hancock became the largest manufacturer of rubber items in the world. The wooden masticator later evolved into a team powered metal machine. (The History of Elastic and Rubber Bands par. 3) In 1845, Stephen Perry patented the first rubber band that was made out of vulcanized rubber. He worked for a rubber manufacturing company that was called Messers Perry and Company. He invented the rubber band so he could use it to hold papers or envelopes together. He did this to keep papers and envelopes organized. (The History of Elastic and Rubber Bands par. 8) Then, in 1877 an American named Chapman Mitchell learned how to recycle used rubber into new products. This allowed the left over masticated rubber pieces to be reused. This added additional rubber, which was normally not used, to the rubber market. This also helped reduce the amount of rubber waste. (The History of Elastic and Rubber Bands par. 11) “The rubber tree is one of the best known trees in the world, but very few of us will ever see one,” (White, 1969). The scientific name for the rubber tree is Heva Brasiliensis. Scientific names usually give some information about the item or thing. For example, the word Brasiliensis looks like Brazil. Brazil was the place where rubber trees were originally found. The rubber tree is native to the Amazon Valley in South America. One weird fact is that almost no rubber comes from South America. The rubber tree takes about seven years to mature, and stays productive for about twenty-five years. In 1876 some young rubber trees were taken to England and planted. The climate was not right for the tree to grow in so they ended up moving them to an island south of India. The climate was right for the rubber trees to grow in so the rubber trees grew very well here. More rubber tree plantations were started as rubber became important in the world. Some rubber tree plantations were started in the East Indies and Malaya. These are still important rubber producing areas today. Singapore is sometimes called the rubber capitol of the world. Tapping a rubber tree is the process from which the sap is taken out of the tree. This process is completed some of the employees, called rubber harvesters, at the rubber tree plantation. They cut a V-shaped wedge into the bark of the tree. They have to be sure to make their cuts between a depth of ¼” and ½” in a mature tree. This is important because they need to get the latex without cutting into the sap vessels. It is also important that the rubber trees are tapped at a slightly different spot every time. The tapping of trees is done every other day, and each tapping produces about two ounces of the substance. After the tapping is completed, the cut in the rubber tree dries, and the la