http://www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Introduction to Physical Science
1.16 Technology and Society
- Summarize how major advances in technology impact human society.
- Describe how the Industrial Revolution affected people’s lives.
The Mars Rover pictured here is a wheeled robot developed by NASA. Its job is to explore the surface of Mars. The
rover contains a lot of complex modern technology. But how it moves by rolling on wheels is a very old invention.
The wheel was probably invented many times in different cultures, beginning at least 10,000 years ago. In addition
to wheeled carts and chariots, early wheels were used for water wheels, grinding wheels, and wheels for spinning
pottery. Wheels really changed human life. They revolutionized transportation and made it much easier to do many
different kinds of work.
How Technology Affects Society
Important new technologies such as the wheel have had a big impact on human society. Major advances in technol-
ogy have influenced every aspect of life, including transportation, food production, manufacturing, communication,
medicine, and the arts. That’s because technology has the goal of solving human problems, so new technologies
usually make life better. They may make work easier, for example, or make people healthier. Sometimes, however,
new technologies affect people in negative ways. For example, using a new product or process might cause human
health problems or pollute the environment.
Q:Can you think of a modern technology that has both positive and negative effects on people?
A:Modern methods of transportation have both positive and negative effects on people. They help people and goods
move quickly all over the world. However, most of them pollute the environment. For example, gasoline-powered
cars and trucks add many pollutants to the atmosphere. The pollutants harm people’s health and contribute to global
climate change.