Technology

1. Technology

2. Technology • Technologyis the process of using scientific knowledge/discoveries to design solutions to real-world problems (practical purposes). • The goal of technology is to improve the way people live and meet needs. • When you think of technology you may think of cars, computers, and cell phones. Imagine having no refrigerator or radio • It is difficult to think of a world without the products of technology.

3. Six Areas of Technology • Communication • Cell phones, televisions, radio, computers • Transportation • Automobiles, airplanes, bicycles, trains • Manufacturing • Clothing, furniture • Energy and Power • Heating, lighting • Biological and Chemical • Fertilizers, detergents • Construction • Houses, schools, roads

4. Technology • Science and technology go hand in hand to form a cycle. • New technologies lead to new scientific knowledge which leads to new technologies. • Science doesn’t just add to the understanding of your natural surroundings, it also allows people to make discoveries that help others.

5. Using Technology • The use of scientific knowledge has resulted in such common yet important things as paper, can openers, buckets, aspirin, rubber boots, locks and keys, microfiber clothing, ironing boards, bandages, and scissors. • Technology also includes calculators and computers that process information.

6. Transferable Technology • Technology is transferable, which means that it can be applied to new situations. • Earth scientists rely on information from weather satellites to gather weather data. But biologists also use satellites to track animals. • For example, many types of technology that are now common were originally developed for use in outer space. • A tiny radio transmitter attached to an animal sends signals up to a satellite.

7. Example of Transferable Technology • People discovered curved glass can magnify objects RESULT lenses were invented • Using lenses people created microscopes • Using microscopes, scientists discover new organisms • Later, some of these organisms were discovered to be the cause of disease RESULT food sterilization

8. Continuing Research Technology • It is impossible to predict the types of instruments scientists will have in the future. • But it is easy to predict that as research continues and instruments improve, knowledge will grow.

9. Limits on Technology • Natural Limits • Weight, properties, etc. • Economic Limits • MONEY • Ethical Limits • Informed consent, cloning, etc. • Society Limits • Needs, wants, values, etc. • Government Limits • Military, space program, etc.

10. Technology Designers • Engineers identify a need (define a problem). • Perform the scientific method. • They useprototypesto test the operation of new products. • Locate any problems, redesign prototype. • Apply for a patent.Patents are issued by the government. They give inventors exclusive rights to make, use, or sell the invention for a limited time.

11. Need or problem is located Research is done about info already known or created A product/solution is designed Build, test, change, retest, etc. Test and evaluate final product Accepted, redesigned, later improve Use of gas lamps to light homes Edison read about heat energy and the use of electricity Design of the light bulb (after many attempts) Light bulb works …too expensive “New” light bulb works and is inexpensive People began using light bulbs instead of gas Technology Design in Practice See page 357-358 Sciencesaurus for full story

12. Technology Tradeoffs • Tradeoff- accepting the drawbacks of a technology because of its benefits • People “trade” something bad to get something good • We prefer technology with only good effects but that very rarely happens

13. Technology Tradeoff Example Oil Drilling and Pipeline Laying • Oil, or petroleum, is used to provide the energy that runs most cars but it is located in the ground • We have the technology to get the oil out of the ground and across state lines • Pipelines can disrupt the migration patterns of animals and oil spills do occur

14. Oil Solution? • You may say get an electric car or a hybrid • Electric cars do not burn fossil fuels and they are quieter than gas powered cars • However, they are smaller and less safe in an accident • They have to be recharged. The charging incorporates energy from power plants that burn oil and coal- thus producing pollution • The statement has been made they do not pollute less they just move the pollution to a different place

15. Risk-Benefit Analysis • Society sets the level of risk it is willing to accept for a technology; although not everyone agrees on what is acceptable • In the US the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does an analysis before a food or drug product can go on the market • The FDA looks into the side effects and weighs them against the benefits • Sometimes they may approve a drug for use in VERY sick people but not for use on others

16. Technology- the good, the bad, the ugly • In addition to positive effects technology can have negative consequences. • How is it harmful? • How is it helpful?

17. Technology Assignment HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT • List 10 technologies. No duplicate types (i.e. car, truck, motorcycle) • Define the area it represents (you must have at least one of each) • Tell how your life would be different without it. • List an advantage and a disadvantage of each. No duplicates (i.e. you can’t have the disadvantage of everything being pollution) • Overall positive or negative impact.

18. Question 1 Give some examples of technology that you interact with every day.

19. Answer The telephone, television, computer, and washing machine are some examples of technology that you use every day.

20. Question 2 Choosing one item from your previous answer, name one scientific achievement that had to be accomplished before that technology could be produced.

21. Example Answer For a television to exist, scientists first had to understand electricity.

22. Question 3 Which of the following is an example of using technology? A. asking individuals whether they recycle B. looking at trees in a forest C. wondering what type of flowers bees prefer D. using a hypsometer to determine a tree’s height

23. Answer The answer is D. Technology is the use of scientific discoveries for practical purposes. Making observations and asking questions are part of scientific methods, but do not always include the use of technology.

24. Question 4 Which is an example of technology? A. tagging an animal to track its movements B. heat from the sun C. a study of how gravity works D. a windmill

25. Answer The answer is D. Technology does not need to be modern. Windmills have been around for centuries, but they are technology nonetheless.