Understanding Technology 9th

8/7/2019 Understanding Technology 9th

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The Nature of TechnologyScience class7 th Grade

Ms. Artigas


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W hat is technology?Technology is closely related to science, but the twoactivities have different goals.Technology is a way of changing the natural world tomeet human needs or solve problems.

By contrast, the goal of science is a study of thenatural world in order to understand it.


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EngineersPeople who work in a field in technology are calledengineers.An engineer is someone who is trained to use bothtechnological and scientific knowledge to solve practicalproblems.Engineers often follow a set of steps called the technologydesign process.


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Technology Design Process

The technology design process, like scientific inquiry, does

not always follow rigid steps.Often, engineers follow a common process: They identify aneed, research the problem, design a solution, build andevaluate a prototype, troubleshoot and redesign, and

communicate the solution.


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Id entifying a Nee dE ngineers designed the first mouse for use with large, complexcomputers. Early versions had several problems. They wereexpensive. Dirt easily became trapped in the mechanism,preventing the mouse from working. Also, the mouse often

slipped, meaning that the cursor didn t move when the mousemoved.Imagine that you are an engineer on the team that isredesigning the original mouse. As your first step, you mustdecide exactly what need you are trying to fulfill. W henengineers identify a need, they clearly define the problem they

are trying to solve.


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R esearching the ProblemAfter defining a problem, engineers need to research itfully. That may include performing experiments related tothe technology they are designing.

In gathering information about the mouse, the engineersdiscovered that the ball inside the mouse was held in placeby a complex system of sensitive, costly parts.Too much pressure on the ball made it slip frequently. Any

bit of dirt or dust would jam up the system.To fix it, the entire mouse had to be taken apart, and eachpart had to be cleaned separately.


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Designing a SolutionOnce a team has a clearunderstanding of the problem, it istime to think about solutions.Designing a solution involves thinkingabout different ways to solve theproblem.Engineers consider many possiblesolutions and choose the best one.

The best design is the one that meetsthe needs and has the fewestnegative characteristics.


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Designing a Solution

An important activity that helps generate ideas iscalled brainstorming.B rainstorming is a process in which group membersfreely suggest any creative solutions that come tomind.W hen the mouse engineers brainstormed, theyproposed solutions that involved magnets, lights, andother creative ideas. Engineers may refine their ideasby making sketches or constructing models.


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To answer the questions, engineers must evaluate theconstraints of each possible design.A constraint is any factor that limits or restricts a design.For example, one physical constraint that engineers must consider is

the strength of the materials they use. They must think about thefollowing questions.How well will the parts stand up to repeated use?W ill the product be likely to break or cause injuries?

How much money can the finished product cost?W hat should be the overall size of the product?How should the product look?


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A design team must sometimes make trade-offs.A tra d e-off is an exchange in which one benefit is given upin order to obtain another.For example, one material may be sturdy but ugly. Anothermay be more attractive but weaker. The team may decideto use the more attractive material to appeal to customers,trading off strength for appearance.


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B uil d ing a PrototypeThe next phase of the process is to build and test aprototype.A prototype is a working model used to test a design. Someprototypes are full size and made of the materials proposedfor the final product. Today, many prototypes are completely

virtual, or computer generated.The engineers designed many tests to study the new mouse.They designed a machine that kept the mouse working all

day. They found that after the equivalentof three years of use, the mouse showedonly minor problems in performance.


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Troubleshooting an d R e d esigning

The next stage in the design process is to identify thecauses of any problems and to redesign the productto address the problems.

The process of analyzing a design problem andfinding a way to fix it is called troubleshooting.


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Communicating the Solution

The team will want to share its accomplishments! In thelast stage of the technology design process, engineers mustcommunicate to consumers how a product meets their

needs. They must also communicate with those involved inbringing the product to consumers.Through effective communication, information about themouse reached the public, and the mouse becameincreasingly popular over the next few years. Decades later,the mouse is still the most popular method of moving acursor around a computer screen.


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http://www.phschool.com/atschool/phsciexp/active_art/technology_design_process/index.html


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Technology as a System

All systems have one thing in common: They aremade of parts that work together.Technology products can be thought of as systems,too. A technological system includes a goal, inputs,processes, outputs, and, in some cases, feedback.Technological systems are designed to achieve aparticular goal, or purpose. An input is somethingthat is put into a system in order to reach that goal.


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Technology as a System

The process is a sequence of actions that the systemundergoes.An output is a result or product. If the system workscorrectly, the output should match the goal.Some technological systems have an additional component,called feedback.Feedback is information a system uses to monitor theinput, process, and output so that the system can adjust

itself to meet the goal.


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Technology an d SocietyN ew technologies change how people live. In otherwords, they change society. ( Society refers to anygroup of people who live together in an area andhave certain things in common, such as form of

government.)Throughout history, from the Stone Age to theInformation Age today, technology has had a largeimpact on society.

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Understanding Technology 9th