Central Bicol State University of AgricultureSan Jose Pili, Camarines Sur

PSCI 102- Science , Technology and Society

Contemporary Science and Technology

Prepared by: Mayores, Richard S. BSE 3C- Physical

Science Villamor, Famila Gerni BSE 3C-Physical

Science

Objectives:1.Define contemporary science2. Differentiate contemporary science

and traditional science3.Discuss some notable distinguishing

features of science and technology

TRADITIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CONTEMPORARY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Abacus

Morse code

Old model of computer

Scientific calculator

Laptop

Science and technology through the years

Therefore, contemporary science and technology cannot meet the things that we have now today without harnessing indigenous knowledge from the past.

Science- it is about the body of knowledge as a whole including the people, skills and organizations involved.

Technology –not only about gadgets but as well as the methods, technics and materials to come up with the gadget.

Characteristic of Contemporary Science and Technology

1.Polymorphism 4 dimension of scientific and technological activities

2. Products of contemporary science and technology

3. Settings4. Resources5. Practitioner 

1. Polymorphism

poly-many; morph-formsTherefore, Science and technology comes in many forms.

New kinds of activities continue to improve and added to the arsenal of contemporary technology part.

CHEMISTRY

Inorganic chemistry

Biochemistry

The study of compounds which do not contain C-H bond. Many inorganic compounds are those which contain metal

The study of carbon and its compound.

The study of chemical processes that occur inside of living organism.

The study of the chemistry of matter and the development of tools used to measure properties of matter

Cellular phones come in different units and models

2. Products of Science and Technology

-exhibit a number of distinctive features sufficiently common to qualify as characteristics of their own form of activity

Technologya. Complexity-structure-operations

The complexity of technology

APOLLO 8 SPACECRAFT AUTOMOBILEHad an approximately 5.6 million parts

Contain about 14,000 parts

b. System-embeddedness-sociotechnical support systems depends on their manufacture, use and maintenance-there are invisible linkages that connects the technics in question to their respective support system

For instance to acquire a contemporary system-embedded technic as an automobile for personal use, one has to encounter a series of sociotechnical systems. These systems are:

Road network

Energy supply

Spare parts supply

Registration, insurance

Police toll

Legal systems

c. Production Specialization and Incomprehensibility

-each technique product is different from the other

eg. Different person for design different person for engine

-some contemporary technics are incomprehensible to majority of their users, most often they limited idea on how they are made, worked or repaired

d. Formalized Technical Procedures

-most often embodied in computer programs

-it includes those related design, production, operation and maintenance of contemporary technics and technical systemEngineers create computer-based procedure for easy operation and maintenance of technical system

e. Sociotechnical Systems Analysis

- Quantitative examination a particular system of interest

-determines how a system performs or would perform under certain conditions/assumptions

- this analysis is usually done with a view to decide how a structure or restructure the system by devising a formalized procedure or method to be followed in seeking to control its performance or behavior to achieve the desired and most favorable condition

Sciencea. Abstract and Abstruse

Nature -hard or not easy to

understand -needs mathematical ideas

methods and sophisticated theories

-involves phenomena remote from everyday experience and sometimes involve counterintuitive and unintelligible

The relativity of space and time

Black holes in the Universe

b. Theory-dependence-contemporary scientific knowledge is attached and exists only on high theoretical platforms

c. Growth of Scientific knowledge-scientific knowledge are faster and readily accessible of the number of journals that are available at various times

The number of scientific journals has grown roughly exponentially for more than three centuries. Doubling roughly every 15 years, the number of such publications has grown 100 fold every century.

3. SettingsBefore the 20th century-took place in garages, basements

and in small shops

21st century

Facilities for science researches were built:approximately 6,700 university related and other not-for-profit centers devoted to research in the physical and life sciences in US and Canada

Expansion and consolidation of housing of scientific and technological activities in an extensive network of firmly established, substantial size formed organizations

Other organizations devoted to data

collection and analysis, training, planning

operations and maintenance were

established

4. Resources- Without the contribution of

resources, any endeavor or activity in this world is destine to end up in failure.

Two types of Resources A. Input resources B. Transformative

resources

A. Input resources- supplies of various kinds introduced or incorporated into scientific or technological contexts to enable and facilitate certain ideas and undertakings

Important input resources 1. Materials

2. Natural Phenomena 3. Money

1. Materials- material inputs to technological activity consisted largely of raw materials in the form of bones, stones and wood for tools and implements, straw, leaves for baskets, and animal skin for clothing

2. Natural PhenomenaThere was a great increase of

inputs in science in the contemporary era. This was brought about in part to the growing developments of new and improve technics which include:

It shows that the domain of natural phenomena to scientific exploration is expanding.

computer microscope

Imaging Machine

c. MoneyAn indispensable

component or input in contemporary science and technology. Without it any endeavor is unlikely to succeed or accomplish its objectives and come up with its target output.

Some contributors to the increasing price of most contemporary scientific research:

1.Expensive technology2. More high-salaried

workers3. High institutional

overhead costs

b. Transformative Resources

Transformative resources are those that used in converting inputs of scientific and technological activities into their respective outputs or products.

It can be divided into two kinds:

- First-Order resources-Second-Order resources

Transformative Resources

First-order resources

Technics, technical system,

mathematical techniques

Labor power, materials alteration processes,

energy forms

Second-order resources

Methods and knowledge

5. Practitioner

Engineers

Scientists

Technicians

a. Numbers and densityThe ratio of total scientists and

engineers to the US population in 1990 was 1 to 1,807, while in 1988, the ratio of total scientist and engineers to the US population was 1 to 45. this indicates that the density of engineers and scientists in the US has increased in this century.b. Collaborative and teams

Contemporary scientific and technological activities is usually pursued on a collaborative or team basis.

c. Management Skills

In a big scale technological projects, there is an urgent need for someone who possesses some managerial capabilities and who will be responsible for important project related decision making, such as setting the personnel levels, allocating tasks for competing units, and selecting a way satisfying all design constraint, certifying testing and meeting schedules.

d. Reaffirmation of Individual Practitioner

Although the importance of the team of management skills approach in the 20th century technological and scientific has increased significantly, the role of the individual has by no means been shadowed. Individual practitioners sometimes are the key sources of ideas for inventions, innovations or experiments.

e. Training and Specialization-master’s and doctor’s degree are the reflection of the growing role of scientific knowledge

1986- Doctoral Degree529,100 of 2.186 million -

scientists (24.2%)561,300 of 2.44 million -

engineers (23%)

Scientific trainings and gatherings

Thank you!