Contents* Early molecular theories of rubber hyperelasticity were called kinetic theories, in correspondence to the behavior of ideal gases (the molecules of which have neither size nor mutual interactions). The elastic forces of an ideal rubber are caused by thermal motion of the network chains attempting to restore the higher entropy, isotropic state; thus, analogous to ideal gases, ideal rubber elasticity is a statistical effect. In real materials there is also an energy contribution (negative or positive) due to the difference in energy between trans and gauche conformations of the repeat units.of alternative networks -interpenetrating, double, bimodal, heterogeneous, and deswollenare discussed at the conclusion of the chapter.