Science, Technology and Society

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY 

Science, Technology and Society

Science, technology, and society are important to us in our daily lives. Technology is the use of scientific knowledge to solve a problem. Our society is made up of many individuals who must work together. Science, technology, and society are all connected to one another. When you are faced with a problem, science skills can help you under­stand the problem and technology may help you deal with it. For ex­ample, suppose you want to save half a cur onion for future use. You decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. However, you re­member that the strong onion odor can flavor other foods, like milk, if they are stored together in the refrigerator. To solve the problem, you place the onion in a container designed to seal in the onion's odor and to keep it fresh.

A member of society has a responsibility to learn about and use sci­ence and technology to make informed personal decisions. For in­stance, suppose that you get tar on the bottom of your running shoe and track it onto the kitchen floor. You can scrape the tar off the floor with a knife, or you can use a strong cleaner, developed by science and technology, to clean the tar off. But what if your younger sister has an allergy to the cleaner? And how will you dispose of any unused cleaner later? What effect will it have on the environment? When science skills identify a problem, and technology is used to solve the problem, every effort must be taken to ensure that other members of society are not negatively affected by the solution. In this way, science, technol­ogy, and society are interconnected.

Members of society must often make personal decisions about an issue, a topic about 'vvhich people have different points of view. Many issues are neither easy to describe nor easy to understand, because people have different personal, cultural, religious, political, or eco­nomic points of view about the same issue. For example, if the num­ber of salmon in Washington were steadily decreasing, should the quota (the number of salmon caught over a particular period of time) for sport or commercial fishing be reduced? A sport fisher who enjoys salmon fishing four days a year might not see how lowering the quota from four to two salmon a day would solve the problem. A commer­cial fisher whose family's only source of income is based on the num­ber of salmon caught might feel that reducing the quota is unfair. An ecologist might say that reducing the quota is the only way to save the supply of salmon for the future.

People with different viewpoints on the same issue often experience ~trong emotions such as anger or frustration. These emotions some­::lmes cause individuals to make decisions about an issue that they 'ght not have made had they approached it in the same way as you se science skills to solve a problem. Science can allow people to un­";erstand the issue, and technology can help them react to it. When you must make a decision about an issue, it is important to identify the issue, collect as much information aboutit as you can, analyze the information you have collected, and then make a decision based on thee information you have collected and analyzed.

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Posted in Technology

How Computers are used In Cars?

Computers and Cars

How computers are used in cars?

Have you ever seen a picture of a 1958 Cadillac? It had enormous metal fins swooping up on either side at the back. 

Since then, cars have certainly changed, and not just in appearance. T oday's cars also operate very differently. Much of this difference has to do with computers. 

In most modern cars, a computer man­ages the engine. It controls the timing of the ignition spark, the mix of air and fuel, and the idling speed. The computer can make adjustments depending on how cold the en­gine is, the temperature of the outside air, or how fast the car is driven. 

This engine management computer plays an important role in how well the car's cat­alytic converter works. A catalytic converter is a box that sits in front of the muffler under­neath the car. The box contains the rare ele­ments platinum and rhodium. They act as catalysts, encouraging exhaust gases that flow from the car's engine through the con­verter to burn up more completely. This added combustion greatly reduces the amount of polluting gases, such as un­burned hydrocarbons, that spew from the car's tailpipe.

Several chemical reactions can occur within a converter, for in­stance, unburned hydrocarbons react with oxygen to form carbon dioxide and water. Carbon monoxide reacts with oxygen to form carbon dioxide. Since oxygen is a reactant in these chemical reactions, it is important that the exhaust gases going into the converter contain enough oxygen. An oxygen sensor located just in front of the converter sends informa­tion about oxygen levels to the car's computer. It adjusts the amount of air in the engine's fuel-air mix so that the converter works properly. 

In some new cars, computers do much more than fine-tune the engine. They auto­matically check fuel and oil levels, and turr on headlights and windshield wipers. 

Computers control the brakes and pre­vent the wheels from locking up. They can switch a car from two-wheel drive to four· wheel drive when the slip of the primary wheels exceeds a certain point. 

Car manufacturers are testing a new cruise control for cars. You'll be able to see how fast you want your vehicle to go. The computer will readiust that setting anc slow down the car if traffic ahead is mov­

ing too slowly. 

Some cars have computerized navigation systems to help drivers find their way. Drivers punch in information that tells where they are when they start, and the screen displays thei­r whereabouts on a map as they drive. 

Today's computer-managed car may not look as flashy as the '58 Caddie, but it has features that drivers back then could only dream of. 

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Posted in Cars , Computers , Technology