Geologists and engineers use high-tech equipment to search for petroleum. When they think they've found it, they drill. If there really is oil or gas there, it's forced to the surface. The list is endless. Oil products fuel our planes, trains, cars, trucks, buses, and motorcycles.
Oil also is used to heat homes.
Chemicals made from oil are used to make products that range from makeup, toys, fabrics, sneakers and football helmets to aspirin, toothpaste, deodorant, clothes, hair dryers and lipstick to name just a few. Plastics made from oil are widely used in everything from compact discs and video cassette recorders to computers, TVs, and telephones. Natural gas supplies 25 percent of all the energy Americans consume. It's our second largest source of energy. Only oil provides more energy than natural gas.