Now, it’s your turn!

The more we come to know, the more we realize how little we know. The more we understand, the more clear it is that everything we have learned is nothing compared to what we have yet to learn. Behind each locked door we have managed to open are still more doors and more locks, and so on ad infinitum. So science is not an arrival, but a journey. It is not a fixed body of knowledge or growing shelf of facts and theories, but an infinite series of questions. The most brilliant of scientists have been those who have sought not the right answers to give, but the right questions to ask.

To sum up . . .

20th Century

The increasing pace of technological change in the 20th century makes it difficult to place recent developments into perspective. New materials, ranging from synthetic rubber through plastics and artificial fabrics, have affected ways of life and fashion. With the introduction of the electric streetcar in 1888, cities extended beyond the distance that could be covered by a horse. Following the establishment of the assembly line by Henry Ford in 1913, the automobile became inexpensive enough for many to afford and changed the landscape in industrialized nations. The aircraft industry grew within decades after the first powered flight by the Wright brothers in 1903.

Electronics was ushered in when Marconi sent the first transatlantic radio message in 1901. Radio and, subsequently, television changed communications and entertainment habits.

Although early computing machines existed by World War II, it took the invention of the transistor in 1948 to make modern computers and office machines a reality. Nuclear power was introduced after World War II, and the space age began with the first Soviet spacecraft in 1957. Many of these developments depended on the advances in science that were required before their adaptation by engineers.

Medical technology, which started with better sanitary practices in the 19th century, was expanded by the use of new medicines and new equipment. This nearly doubled the life span of a person living in an industrialized country compared to 100 years earlier. New technologies in biology led to genetic engineering, in which living cells can be altered.

In weaponry there was the invention of the tank, the perfection of the airplane, and, finally, the use of the atomic bomb. These changed warfare from what had been primarily an encounter between military personnel to putting all peoples of the world at risk.

Technology keeps advancing at a rapid rate. It can only be guessed what the “information revolution” of the late 20th century will bring about.

Assessing Technology, Its Effects on Society

Technology has made modern society possible. It has increased the human life span and allowed a healthier life. It has added to leisure time and reduced the long hours of work.

Technology can allow the world to feed itself. It has reduced the effects of natural catastrophes such as famines and floods. The world is now a smaller place where people can readily communicate with each other and travel rapidly anywhere. Technology has raised the standard of living, at least in the developed nations, to a point unimaginable only a century ago.

Yet a dark side of technology persists. The threat of nuclear war is foremost, though other dangers are also frightening. The effects of dumping poisonous waste and the continued pollution of the atmosphere are but two examples. Although 20th-century technology has created more jobs than have been lost, it still has left many individuals unemployed. The world has become smaller, but social and political institutions have not kept pace.

 

By Fred Landis, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin

 

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20TH CENTURY INVENTIONS AND INNOVATIONS

RESEARCH PROJECT

 

The following list of inventions have had a major impact on society. Choose one of the following for your research project:

PLASTIC	TRANSISTOR	GENETIC ENGINEERING
NYLON	BAKELITE	JET ENGINE
VELCRO	PLEXIGLAS	MAGNETIC TAPE
TEFLON	SILICON	X-RAY (RADIATION)
LASER	PENICILLIN	DIGITAL COMPACT DISC
KEVLAR	SILICON CHIP	ELECTRO MAGNETIC MOTOR

 

Part 1

Once you have chosen a topic, you will need to research the invention/innovation. You will need to determine the following information:

• who is the inventor

• when was this item invented

• what is the need for or use of the invention

• material used or needed to create this invention

• a brief biographical sketch of the inventor to include:

birth/death dates

education

work experience

success (or lack thereof) which resulted from the invention

Part 2 of the project is to identify at least five products created from your identified invention/innovation. Research at least three companies which came about as a result of this invention/innovation. Explain the impact of this invention/innovation on society (economy, social, environmental, etc.).

Part 3 of the project is to create a collage of the various products (or uses of the invention) which were a result of the invention/innovation. This work can be done in class. You may use pictures from periodicals (newspapers, magazines) or draw your own illustrations.

Part 4 will be to have a bibliography of the sources you used to complete the research. You will need to consult at least 1 book, 1 periodical (magazine) in addition to any Internet sites you use.

The written research portion of this project needs to be in appropriate formal essay style. This means introduction, body, conclusion with necessary paragraph structure. A thesis statement needs to introduce your topic. You need appropriate sentence structure within each paragraph. The bibliography needs to be on its own page.

Be ready for oral presentation with.