2.3. Technology http://www.ck12.org
TABLE2.5:(continued)
Computer (Year) Description
PDP-8 (1968) By the late 1960s, tiny transistors on silicon chips were
invented. They increased the speed and efficiency of
computers. They also allowed computers to be much
smaller. The PDP-8 computer pictured here was the
first "mini" computer.Macintosh 128K (1984) The next major advance in computers was the develop-
ment of microprocessors. A microprocessor consisted
of thousands of integrated circuits placed on a tiny sili-
con chip. This allowed computers to be more powerful
and even smaller. The computer pictured here is the
first Macintosh personal computer.MacBook Air (2010) The computers of the 21st century are tiny compared
with the lumbering giants of the mid-1900s. Their
problem-solving abilities are also immense compared
with early computers. The diversity of software pro-
grams available today allows users to undertake an
immense variety of tasks —and no rewiring is needed!Technology and Science
Technology is sometimes referred to as applied science, but it has a different goal than science. The goal of science
is to increase knowledge. The goal of technology is to use knowledge for practical purposes.
Although they have different goals, technology and science work hand in hand. Each helps the other advance.
Scientific knowledge is needed to create new technologies. New technologies are used to further science. The
microscope is a good example. Scientific knowledge of light allowed 17thcentury lens makers to make the first
microscopes. This new technology let scientists view a world of tiny objects they had never before seen.Figure
2.14 describes other examples.
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