21.1

Materials Humans Use

Written by:
Dana Desonie, Ph.D.
Fact-checked by:
The CK-12 Editorial Team
Last Modified: Apr 02, 2026

Lesson

Two people walking in an electronics store, engaging with a display. Prototypes visible.

What resources are in those electronics?

When you pick up your personal electronics device or your mobile phone do you ever think about what's in it? A tremendous variety of elements are needed to make a single electronic device. Some are rare, some are common. All must somehow come from Earth or its environment.

Natural Resources

A natural resource is anything in nature that humans need. Metals and fossil fuels are natural resources. But so are water, sunlight, soil, and wind. Even living things are natural resources.

Using Natural Resources

We need natural resources for just about everything we do. We need them for food and clothing, for building materials, and energy. We even need them to have fun. Listed below are examples of how we use natural resources (Table below). Can you think of other ways we use natural resources?

Use Example Resources Natural Source

Vehicles

A blue Mini Cooper parked, showcasing its rubber tires and metal frame.

Rubber for tires from rubber trees

Steel frames and other metal parts from minerals such as iron

Iron ore

A sample of iron ore displayed with a color reference chart and barcode.

Electronics

A flat-screen television, illustrating technology made from natural resources like petroleum and minerals.

Plastic cases from petroleum products

Wires and other components from minerals such as silicon and copper

Native copper

Native copper mineral specimen showing metallic copper ore against a dark background.

Homes

A house with a porch surrounded by trees and greenery, showcasing human use of natural resources.

Nails from minerals such as iron

Timber from trees

Spruce timber

Stacked logs of spruce timber, showcasing the natural resources used by humans.

Jewelry

Rings featuring diamonds and silver, highlighting jewelry made from natural resources.

Gemstones such as diamonds

Minerals such as silver

Silver ore

Raw silver mineral sample, illustrating a natural resource used in various materials.

Food

A taco filled with ground meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and herbs.

Sunlight, water, and soil

Plants and animals

Wheat seeds

Hands holding wheat seeds, with grains spilling onto a surface.

Clothing

A plain white t-shirt displayed against a neutral background.

Wool from sheep

Cotton from cotton plants

Cotton plants

Field of cotton plants with fluffy white cotton bolls ready for harvesting.

Recreation

A young child sitting inside a tent on grass, with a basket beside him.

Water for boating and swimming

Forests for hiking and camping

Pine forest

A pine forest with sunlight filtering through trees, showing green undergrowth.

Some natural resources are renewable. Others are non-renewable. It depends on what they are and how we use them.

 

Summary

  • Many objects, such as a car, contain many types of resources.
  • Resources may be renewable or non-renewable, and an object may contain some of each.
  • Rare earth elements and other unusual materials are used in some electronic devices.

Review

  1. What are natural resources?
  2. Is clean air a natural resource? Why or why not?
  3. What natural resources are important to you?

Asked by Students

Here are the top questions that students are asking Flexi for this concept:
Image Reference Attributions