AERO Standards...This invention then completely changed the world by making information easier to spread. Without the invention of paper and printing from China, Europe would have

AERO Standards:4.8.5.d. Describe changes in scientific knowledge and technology that have affected your host country.

4.1.5.c. Identify cause and effect relationships in history.

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PaperHow did Chinese invent ions impact the wor ld?



Before the invention of paper, writing was done on tablets made of bamboo or other paper-like material, such as animal skin. In 105 AD, a government worker in China named Ts’ai Lun (蔡伦) was the first to start a paper-making industry. Ts’ai Lundeveloped paper by mixing finely chopped mulberry bark and hemp rags with water, mashing it flat, and then pressing out the water and letting it dry in the sun. Ts’aiLun’s paper was a great success, and began to be used all over China. At first, paper was mostly used for wrapping and packing things, since most people could not read and write at that time. It was 400 to 500 years later that paper began to be used mostly for writing. The knowledge of how to make paper spread very slowly to other countries. In 600 AD, Japan began making their own paper; then, in 750 AD, paper started being made in the Middle East. The knowledge of papermaking finally arrived to Europe in 1100 AD. That’s almost 1,000 years after Ts’ai Lun first made paper in China! Once paper became more common in Europe, paper was used to make newspapers, novels, school textbooks, and much else.

mulberry bark hemp ragsBefore paper came to

Europe, it took about 250 sheep skins to make a bible… That’s baaaa-d.

Interesting Fact

industry: a large factory used to make things quickly

develop: to make something new

Movable type printing



In about 1045 AD, a Chinese craftsman named Bi Sheng (毕昇) invented movable type. For movable type, characters had to be carved into clay blocks which were then hardened by fire so that they could be reused. Bi Sheng created over 30,000 clay blocks for the thousands of Chinese characters that existed. Once all of these clay blocks were ready, Bi Sheng could print nearly any message. He could also print hundreds or thousands of copies fairly quickly with his invention. Movable type printing developed very fast and spread to Korea, Japan, Vietnam and finally to Europe. Once this invention arrived in Europe, Johannes Gutenberg improved the movable type invention into a faster machine. This invention then completely changed the world by making information easier to spread. Without the invention of paper and printing from China, Europe would have continued for much longer to copy books by hand, in a slow process that could sometimes take more than a year to complete for just one book.

This invention was much more useful for languages that had an

alphabet, because character-based languages required

thousands more clay blocks to be made, instead of 26 letters for

English, for example.

Interesting Fact

craftsman: someone who is very good at an activity in which you make things with your hands

How did Chinese invent ions impact the wor ld?

Gunpowder



In about 850 AD, the emperor of China paid for alchemists to discover a mixture for

eternal life. The alchemists discovered something that would change the world forever,

but it would not give people eternal life. Gunpowder was invented when an alchemist

mixed saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur. At first, the mixture did not seem special, but once

he exposed the mixture to fire, there was an explosion with smoke and flames! The

explosion even burnt the face and hands of the alchemist and it burnt down the house

he was working in. This mixture began being used by the Song dynasty military forces

against their main enemy, the Mongols. Using gunpowder, they would fire small rockets

at the Mongols in order to terrify the Mongol men and horses. At first, the Mongols must

have thought the Chinese were using magic rockets against them, since no one had ever

seen this before. In 1076 AD, the Song government banned anyone from telling

foreigners about this invention because they did not want gunpowder to be used against

them. Nevertheless, by 1280 AD, European countries began using gunpowder for their

militaries. This invention changed the world forever.

saltpeter charcoal sulfur

alchemists: scientists

eternal: forever

exposed: joined together

military: army or people who fight for a country.


MAGNETIC COMPASS



The magnetic compass is an ancient Chinese invention made in about 210 BC. At first, Chinese fortune tellers used lodestones to make their fortune telling boards. Eventually, someone noticed that lodestones were great for directions. This led to the creation of the first compass. The earliest compasses were made on a square slab with cardinal points engraved into the slab. In the center of the slab was a spoon shaped device, which had a handle that always pointed South. In about 900 AD, the spoon center piece was replaced by a magnetized needle, which made the compass easier to carry and more convenient to read. The compass became very common on ships to help with navigation. The first person to use a compass to navigate was Zheng He (郑和) from Yunnan province in China. Zheng He made seven ocean voyages between 1405 and 1433. The compass has impacted the world in many ways. Before the compass, sea explorers relied mainly on the stars to navigate, but often times clouds prevented explorers from using the stars. The compass allowed explorers to sail more confidently. Many historians suggest that Christopher Columbus wouldn’t have found North America without the use of a compass.

The Chinese compass always pointed South. Once the

invention arrived in Europe the needle direction was changed to point North.

Interesting Factfortune teller: someone who says they can tell your future.

lodestones: stones that are magnetic.

convenient: useful because it saves time.

navigation: planning which way you need to go




Research an Invention


http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Junk_(ship)#Rudders

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/china/meetsusp.html

https://www.thoughtco.com/who-invented-the-umbrella-1992592

http://www.learnchinesehistory.com/chinese-matches/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/the-history-of-rocket-science-4078981/

http://www.echinaexpat.com/ChineseCulture/ChineseCulture/tabid/63/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/6/An-Ancient-Chinas-Seismograph.aspx

http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/song/tech/experiment.htm

https://www.thoughtco.com/how-silk-was-made-117688

Documents

AERO Standards...This invention then completely changed the world by making information easier to spread. Without the invention of paper and printing from China, Europe would have