Scientific study relies on collecting and interpreting information (data). Sometimes thousands of different observations or measurements are made. Computers can help to collect and organize the data. For example, an astronomer might want to study the movement of a planet. A computer, attached to a radio telescope, can measure the position of the planet every five minutes for weeks — a task that would be very tedious for a scientist. Having collected the data, the computer can also process it and use it to predict future patterns of movement. Likewise, computers can perform very complex calculations at incredible speed, working out in less than a second something that a century ago might have taken a lifetime to calculate. Other computer programs can draw three-dimensional plans of objects as tiny as an atom or as large as a cathedral. These models can be turned on screen so that all sides can be viewed. Finally, scientists can search for information on the Internet, instead of visiting libraries that may be in other countries.
Science has changed the world. The modern world – full of cars, computers, washing machines, and lawnmowers -simply wouldn’t exist without the scientific knowledge that we’ve gained over the last 200 years. Science has cured diseases, decreased poverty, and allowed us to communicate easily with hundreds of different cultures. The technology that we develop not only helps us in our everyday lives, it also helps scientists increase human knowledge even further.
Science is the pursuit of knowledge about the natural world through systematic observation and experiments. Science is really about the process, not the knowledge itself. It’s a process that allows inconsistent humans to learn in consistent, objective ways. Technology is the application of scientifically gained knowledge for practical purpose, whether in our homes, businesses, or in industry. Today we’re going to discuss how that technological know-how gained through science allows us to expand our scientific knowledge even further.
It’s hard to imagine science without technology. Science is all about collecting data, or in other words, doing experiments. To do an experiment, you need equipment, and even the most basic equipment is technology. Everything from the wheel to a Bunsen burner to a mirror is technology. So all experiments use technology.
But, as technology advances, we are able to do experiments that would have been impossible in the past. We can use spectroscopes (for spectrometers) to shine light through material and see what elements it’s made of. We can use gigantic telescopes to see into the far reaches of our universe. We can use MRI scanners to study the inside of the human body and even the brain itself.
We can use a microscope to see the very tiny. And, we can use electronic devices to take measurements that are far more precise than anything that came before us. Technology is at the heart of all modern science experiments.