Chapter 1: The Nature of Science 23

BEFORE, you learned

• Scientists use math to analyzeand validate results

• Technology helps scientists collect and analyze data

• Scientists use technology tocommunicate

NOW, you will learn

• How technology advances science

• How science advances technology

• About risks and benefits oftechnology

KEY CONCEPT

Science and technologyare interrelated.

THINK ABOUT

What does technologyinclude?

Look at the picture on the right.What objects in it do you thinkare examples of technology? Youprobably picked out the calcula-tor as being an example oftechnology. Most people recognize electronic devices as being examplesof technology. Some things, however, have been around for such along time that they are not often thought of as being technology eventhough they are. The pencil, the notebook, and the table itself are also examples of technology. People designed these devices to makecertain tasks easier. What are some other examples of technology inyour classroom?

Technology involves devices, processes, and people.

is the use of knowledge to create processes or tools thatchange the way things are done. The word technology is often used torefer to electronic devices, such as computers, and many of the proc-esses and objects associated with computers. Although all of thesethings can be called technology, the word also refers to the following:

• devices or products

• techniques and methods of use

• systems for producing things

• networks of interrelated devices, processes, and people

Technology

Sunshine StateSTANDARDSSC.H.3.3.4: The studentknows that technologicaldesign should requiretaking into account con-straints such as naturallaws, the properties ofthe materials used, andeconomic, political,social, ethical, and aes-thetic values.SC.H.3.3.5: The studentunderstands that contributions to theadvancement of science,mathematics, and tech-nology are an intrinsicpart of the develop-ment of human culture.SC.H.3.3.6: The studentknows that no matterwho does science andmathematics or inventsthings, or when orwhere they do it, theknowledge and technol-ogy that result caneventually becomeavailable to everyone.

VOCABULARY

technology p. 23constraints p. 24criteria p. 24

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Technology involves acts of making or doing. Forexample, cutting pictures in a block of wood and usingthe block to make prints is technology. Technology alsochanges with time and with new discoveries. Sincewoodcuts were first developed many advances havebeen made in the technology that allows us to reproducepictures. Now you can just click a button on a computerand print a copy of a picture.

The Technological Design ProcessJust as there is no single way to do science, there is nosingle way to design a new technology. However, designprocess usually starts with identifying a problem orneed. The next step may be researching the problem andstudying existing technology that is relevant. Designersthen develop standards that the new technology willmeet. They must also work within any limits they have.

The designers then start developing solutions tothe problem. They may build a prototype, or workingmodel, to see if their new technology will work andmeet the standards they have set. The prototype istested to make sure that unexpected problems do not

occur with the design. If there are problems, the designers will trou-bleshoot, or find the problems and fix them. If the prototype issuccessful, the designers will then develop the full technology.

Constraints and CriteriaWhen people design technology, they are limited by the resourcesavailable to them. Limits on how a technology can be designed arecalled If you are asked to design a telephone that costsless than ten dollars to build, the limit on the production cost is aconstraint. Constraints can come from many sources. Designers mightbe limited by the other technologies currently available, by social con-siderations, and even by physical laws. A device that relied on Earth’sgravity pulling objects upward rather than downward, for instance,would not work.

are the standards by which people judge a new technology.How do people know that a new technology will actually meet theirneeds? If you design a bridge for a highway, it must safely support theweight of all the cars and trucks that pass over it. A new medicinemust cure a disease better than no medicine at all.

Criteria

constraints.

Both old and new tech-nologies are used todayto reproduce images.

VOCABULARYMake description wheelsfor the terms constraintsand criteria.

Woodblock Printing

Digital Camera and Ink-Jet Printer

Chapter 1: The Nature of Science 25

Categories of TechnologyTechnologies can be divided into categories based on what the tech-nology is used to accomplish. The major categories are listed below,along with a few examples of each.

• medical (medicines, vaccine development, medical devices)

• agricultural (farming techniques, genetic engineering, food distribution)

• energy and power (electrical power plants, power-line systems,house wiring)

• information and communications (computers, the Internet,telephone networks)

• transportation (road planning, cars, fuel-efficient engines)

• manufacturing (assembly lines, automation techniques,development of specialized materials)

• construction (architectural design methods, constructionmachinery, development of improved materials)

Check Your Reading Think of two examples of technology. How would you categorize them?

Can newspapers move a marble?PROCEDURE

Look at the materials provided. Think about howyou would design a structure made of newspapersand tape to move a marble down from a height of 20 cm.

Consider the criteria and the constraints.

Criteria: The marble must take at least 2 seconds to get from the top of thestructure to the bottom. The marble must move downward 20 cm.

Constraints: You may use only the materials provided. The structure maynot be taped to the surface it rests on.

Design your structure and test it. Did it satisfy the criteria?

WHAT DO YOU THINK?• How long did it take for the marble to move downward?

• How would you redesign your structure to better satisfy the criteria?

3

2

1

Constraints and CriteriaConstraints and CriteriaSKILLS FOCUSDesigning

MATERIALS• newspaper• tape• ruler• marble• stopwatch

TIME30 minutes

Technology creates new opportunities toadvance science.

As technology improves, more and more devices are built that helpscientists make new and more accurate observations of the universe.Satellite telescopes allow astronomers to learn about the early universe.Devices now exist that allow scientists to examine the atomic structuresof materials and even to move single atoms from place to place.Scientists can manipulate genetic material in individual cells. Scientistscan now study the world in ways that were impossible earlier.

A good example of how technology helps advance science is thedevelopment and improvement of magnifying devices. Objects havefar more details than you can see with your eyes alone. Scientists usemagnifying devices to discover and understand the details of anobjects. Magnifying glasses have been used for a long time. Eventuallysomeone discovered that two lenses arranged in a certain way wouldproduce an even greater magnification. This discovery led to the devel-opment of the microscope.

Optical microscopes use light to form a magnified image. Butthere is a limit to how much fine detail you can see using visible light.Scientists looked for new ways to magnify objects. Scanning electronmicroscopes (SEMs) were developed. Scanning electron microscopesuse electrons, the smallest parts of atoms, rather than light to makeimages of objects. SEMs enable scientists to see things they could notsee with regular microscopes. Some SEMs are even able to showimages of atoms on the surface of an object. Scientists also use theatomic force microscope (AFM), which can produce an even greatermagnification than an SEM.

Scientists are now able to study matter at its smallest scale.Scientists can see the structure of a hair of an insect or create a trapfor a single atom or see the details of a blood cell’s surface. Scientistsstudy structures as small as atoms and gain new insight into the waythings work on the atomic scale.

Check Your Reading How do advances in magnifying devices improve science?

Science can lead to new technologies.Science and technology have different purposes. Scientists focus onstudying how the world works. People who develop technologies focuson changing and improving the way humans live and do things.However, science and technology are closely linked. Many scientificadvances depend on new technologies. Similarly, many technologicaladvances depend on scientific breakthroughs.

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MAIN IDEA WEBUse a main idea web toorganize ideas about science and technology.

Chapter 1: The Nature of Science 27

As magnification technologies improved, scientists have learnedmore about the structure of red blood cells.

Technology of Magnification

Optical Microscope

There are several billion red blood cells in amilliliter of blood. A single red blood cell is a fewthousandths of a millimeter wide. Without amicroscope, it is impossible to see individual cells.

Although the general shape of red blood cells canbe observed through an optical microscope, manydetails are not obvious.

SEM: Scanning Electron Microscope

The scanning electron microscope does notjust give a higher magnification—it alsoallows scientists to see greater detail. Finer detail reveals more about the struc-ture of objects, such as the red blood cellsshown here.

AFM: Atomic Force Microscope

The filaments seen here are on the surface of asingle blood cell. The filaments are a few mil-lionths of a millimeter wide. Atomic forcemicroscopes can produce even greater magnifi-cation and show more detail than SEMs can.

The first microscopes werebuilt in the late 1500s.

SEMs were first available commerciallyin the mid-1950s.

The AFM was developed inthe mid-1980s.

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New Science, New TechnologyAs scientists began to understand how light and atoms interact, theydeveloped the concepts that would later be used to invent the laser.A laser is a device that sends out a beam of light that does not spreadout as much as other light does.

As scientists learned more about atoms, they discovered that theelectrons in atoms can gain or lose energy. This energy is often in theform of light. In the early 1900s, scientists predicted that it should bepossible to get a collection of atoms to give off the same color of lightat the same time. Within 50 years of this theoretical prediction, scien-tists built a device that did exactly that—the laser. Today, lasers are animportant component of modern technology. Lasers are used in manyproducts today, such as CD and DVD players, surgical devices, pointers,and precision measuring tools.

Natural InspirationPeople developing new technologies often turn to nature for ideas. Asscientists discover how animals and plants do the unique things theydo, this knowledge can lead to technological advances. For example,understanding how a spider or a lizard walks up a wall can lead to anew type of adhesive. Understanding the structure of spider silk canlead to new synthetic fabrics.

New swimsuit fabrics have been developed that are based on thestructure of sharkskin. The grooves and ridges on a shark’s scalesallow the shark to speed through the water with less resistance.Because of the grooves, water slips around the shark more easily thanit would around a smooth surface. Bathing suits made of fabrics thathave the same groove-and-ridge structure may improve swimmers’racing times.

As another example, penguins arevery efficient swimmers. The propellersthat move motorboats are not very efficient. Some designers have studied theway penguins swim. They have used theirfindings to build boat flippers that imi-tate the way a penguin’s flippers move.The boat flippers move toward and awayfrom each other, similar to the way pen-guins move their flippers as they swim.The flippers can replace the less efficientpropellers.

ANALYZE What similari-ties do you see betweenthe penguin flippers andthe boat flippers?

reminder

You will learn more aboutlasers in Chapter 13.

Content PreviewFLORIDA

flipper

flipper

Chapter 1: The Nature of Science 29

New technology has both benefits and risks.Technology can provide many benefits. For example, when a townputs in a new bus system, there is an obvious benefit—people withoutcars have a way of getting around town. However, there are also unde-sirable effects that come with the development of a new technology.These undesirable effects are often called risks.

Some risks are predictable, while others are not. Risks that are predictable are part of the cost of technology. For instance, the gasesthat buses emit pollute the air. How people will react to the new trans-portation system is less predictable. Suppose that after the bus systemis in place, many people move into the town to take advantage of thegood public transportation system. The increase in people might causeovercrowding. This could be an unintended effect of a new bus system.

Check Your Reading What other benefits and risks might a new bus system in a town have?

Balancing Risks and BenefitsAll technology has risks of some kind associated with it.People must decide if the risks are worth the benefits that willcome with the new technology. Sometimes it can be hard totell whether an effect is a risk or a benefit. Some effects areboth risks and benefits. For instance, although buses pollute,if more people ride them and do not drive cars, the overallpollution levels in the town might go down.

Biotechnology is a fast-growing area of technology thathas the potential for both great benefits and great risks.Biotechnology is the use of living organisms in productionand manufacturing processes. Imagine corn that naturallyrepels the insects that might eat it. Such corn could increasethe food supply. Imagine being vaccinated by eating a potatoinstead of getting a shot. An edible vaccine might enablemany poor countries to vaccinate their children cheaply andefficiently. Biotechnologists have already imagined these ben-efits and many others.

However, insect-repelling corn and edible vaccines are producedby altering the genes of corn and potatoes. It is difficult to predict theeffects of introducing a genetically altered species into the environ-ment. Some people are concerned that genetically altered plants maycontaminate existing plants if they accidentally crossbreed. Anotherconcern is how genetically altered foods might affect humans. If cornis genetically modified to prevent insects from eating it, could the cornharm humans who eat it?

RESOURCE CENTERCLASSZONE.COM

Find out more about therisks and benefits ofnew technologies.

The corn growing in thisgreenhouse has beengenetically engineered.

Minimizing RisksRisks involved in a new technology can be reduced if developers andother people take appropriate steps. For example, cars have been mod-ified to decrease pollution. Strict regulations control the growing andplanting of genetically modified crops. Such crops may be grown incages to keep insects from transporting the plants’ pollen, or theplants may be geographically isolated from other crops.

Although some risks can be determined and minimized, other risksmay not become known for a long time. People may also decide thatrisks that were acceptable in the past are no longer acceptable. Thebalancing of the risks and benefits of technology is an ongoing process.

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Minimizing risks does notalways prevent problems.Here, a farmer in Mexicoshows corn from herfields that had been pollinated by geneticallyaltered corn from some-where else.

KEY CONCEPTS1. What are two steps in the

technological design process?

2. Describe how technology andscience advance each other.

3. What types of effects shouldpeople think about when theyconsider implementing a newtechnology?

CRITICAL THINKING4. Analyze Pick a technology

that you have used recently.Could this technology havebeen used 100 years ago?Explain why or why not.

5. Apply Some people want todevelop a new technology tosend people to Mars. Wouldthe benefits of such a technol-ogy be worth the risks? Explain.

CHALLENGE6. Synthesize Think about a

characteristic some plant oranimal has that you thinkcould be used to create a newtechnology. Describe the char-acteristic and the way it wouldbe used in the new technology.