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Sand and rock are used to allow space to exist within the 'matrix' that is created when cement, sand and stone (rock) are mixed with water.
Most sensible people call it concrete, and it's necessary to have a stress matrix for it to be strong and not too heavy. If you just mix cement and water, it would be heavy and brittle - it wouldn't transfer load (as concrete does) it would absorb load and fracture.
Rebar is often used to add tensile strength and create a shear plane, so that the force is transmitted in a specific direction.
Had enough? My family owns a company that manufactures pigment for mortar & concrete. I've been irritated by the idiots who call them 'cement trucks' and 'cinder blocks' since I was 14.
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