Technology and Science
Jean Brainard, Ph.D.
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Printed: January 27, 2015
AUTHOR
Jean Brainard, Ph.D.
www.ck12.org
C HAPTER
Chapter 1. Technology and Science
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Technology and Science
• Explain how technology and science are related.
• Give examples of ways that technology and science help each other advance.
This incredible image was made by the Hubble space telescope. The image is called Pillars of Creation. It shows
the actual formation of stars in distant space. The Hubble telescope is a very powerful telescope that orbits Earth
like a satellite. Scientists placed the Hubble telescope into space so it could make clear images like this without
background lights on Earth competing with the dim light from distant stars. It has led to many scientific discoveries.
How Technology and Science Are Related
The Hubble space telescope shows that technology and science are closely related. Technology uses science to
solve problems, and science uses technology to make new discoveries. However, technology and science have
different goals. The goal of science is to answer questions and increase knowledge. The goal of technology is to find
solutions to practical problems. Although they have different goals, science and technology work hand in hand, and
each helps the other advance. Scientific knowledge is used to create new technologies such as the space telescope.
New technologies often allow scientists to explore nature in new ways.
How Technology Revolutionized Science
The Hubble telescope was put into orbit around Earth in the 1990s, but scientists have been using telescopes to make
discoveries for hundreds of years. The first telescope was invented in the early 1600s. The inventor was probably
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FIGURE 1.1
Hans Lippershey is credited with making
the first practical telescope in 1608. He is
pictured here using his invention to view
distant objects.
Officials of the Dutch
government recognized the importance of
Lippershey’s invention. They gave him a
generous sum of money for his design.
a Dutch lens maker named Hans Lippershey. He and his telescope are pictured in Figure 1.1. Lippershey used
scientific knowledge of the properties of light and lenses to design his telescope.
Lippershey’s new technology quickly spread all over Europe. Almost immediately, the Italian scientist and inventor
Galileo started working to improve Lippershey’s design. In just two years, Galileo had made a more powerful
telescope. It could make very distant objects visible to the human eye. The Figure 1.2 shows Galileo demonstrating
his powerful telescope. It appears to be focused on the moon. Galileo started using his telescope to explore the night
sky. He soon made some remarkable discoveries. He observed hills and valleys on the moon and spots on the sun.
He discovered that Jupiter has moons and that the sun rotates on its axis. With his discoveries, Galileo was able
to prove that the sun, not Earth, is at the center of the solar system. This discovery played an important role in the
history of science. It led to a scientific revolution that gave birth to modern Western science. And it all began with
technology!
FIGURE 1.2
Galileo is shown here presenting his telescope to government leaders. They must
have been impressed. They gave him a
life-long job as a university professor and
doubled his salary.
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Chapter 1. Technology and Science
Other Examples
There are many other examples that show how technology and science work together. Two are pictured in Figure
1.3. Another example is the microscope. It may have been invented by Galileo around the same time as the telescope.
Like the invention of the telescope, the invention of the microscope also depended on scientific knowledge of light
and lenses.
Q: How do you think the invention of the microscope helped science advance?
A: The microscope let scientists view a world of tiny objects they had never seen before. It led to many important
scientific discoveries, including the discovery of cells, which are the basic building blocks of all living things.
FIGURE 1.3
Seismometers and spectrometers are
both technological devices that led to important scientific discoveries.
Summary
• Science and technology help each other advance. Scientific knowledge is used to create new technologies.
New technologies often allow scientists to explore nature in different ways and make new discoveries.
• Examples of technologies that have helped science advance include the telescope and microscope.
Explore More
Read this short article about scientific discoveries made possible by the invention of the microscope. Then answer
the questions below.
http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/physics/microscopes/discoveries/
1. What was the focus of the first scientific studies using the microscope? What was the significance of their
results?
2. How did the microscope help scientists understand diseases?
3. How did quantum theories of physics change microscope technology?
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Review
1. What is the relationship between technology and science?
2. What scientific knowledge was necessary for the invention of the telescope and microscope?
3. Identify a scientific discovery made possible by technology.
References
1. Adriaen van de Venne. Hans Lippershey, the inventor of the telescope . Public Domain
2. H. J. Detouche. Galileo and his telescope . Public Domain
3. Left: Oleg Alexandrov; Right: Courtesy of NASA. Left: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seismom
eter_at_Lick_Observatory.JPG; Right: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mini-TES_on_mars_rovers.
jpeg . Public Domain
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