ENTC 3020
Technology & Society

Materials: The Stuff of Things

What are the "engines" that drive technological development?

• Power and Conquest
• Survival
• Financial Gain
• La Dolce Vita

Human History is Reckoned in Terms of...Materials!

• Stone Age
• Bronze Age
• Iron Age

Properties of Stone

• Plentiful
• Hard
• Durable, but not easily shaped

Properties of Bronze

• Not-so-plentiful
• Man-made
• Durable, but not very hard
• Easily shaped

Properties of Iron

• Does not naturally occur in its metallic form
• Requires high temperatures
• Unrefined, it is brittle
• Refined as steel, it is tough
• Durable and hard
• Easily shaped

Where Were Settlements Located Prior to the 19th Century?
Why Were Settlements Located Where they Were?
Answers: Near Falling Water. Drinking Water & Power

Technological Breakthroughs

• Portable Power: Steam Engines
• Inexpensive Steel: Steam Boilers & Rails
• High Speed Steel: Machine Tools
• Electric Motors: A new form of power
• The Electrical Grid: Wide area distribution of power
• Commercial and residential users
• Consumer Products & Modern conveniences
• Population Growth due to Agriculture & Sanitation Practices
• Massive Energy Requirements
• GDP proportional to Energy Usage
• Environmental Pollution