24
Foundations of Engineering & Technology
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
Technology and engineering also help advance
the fi elds of science and mathematics. The develop- fi
ment of new technologies can provide improved
methods and enhanced abilities for observing nat-
ure,makingaccuratemeasurements,andconducting
precise and extensive mathematical calculations.
The James Webb Space Telescope, Figure  2-7, is a 7 7
groundbreaking technology developed by teams of
engineers. The telescope will orbit the sun, enabling
scientists to observe the universe and study its
history and evolution. Scientifi knowledge and fic
mathematical practices enlighten the processes of
engineering, while technologies created through
engineering drive new scientific breakthroughs. It fi
is easy to see that science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics are inseparable.
Technology versus Engineering
Technology is the application of knowledge,
tools, and skills to solve problems and extend
human capabilities. It is any modification of the fi
natural world done to fulfi human needs and fill
desires. Technology, as described earlier, also
develops and uses tools and machines, systems, and
materials to extend the ability to control and modify
the environment. The key component in this defi- fi
nition is develop. Developing technology requires
creative action. Early in human history, creative
action to develop technologies was more primitive
and was based mostly on technological know-how
rather than on scientifi knowledge. Technological fic
know-how is the skills and knowledge that people
have developed through a trial-and-error approach
to solving problems.
As vice president during the eight-year term of a popular president, most A i id d i h i h
observers expected Richard Nixon to win the presidential election of 1960.
Additionally improving his chances, he was running against a young and somewhat
inexperienced senator, John Kennedy of Massachusetts.
Because of a relatively new invention called the television, however, the
perceptions of the two candidates changed dramatically as the election grew closer.
In a series of first-ever televised debates, Kennedy came across as confident and
mature. Nixon was perceived as nervous and self-conscious. Interestingly enough,
according to most people who listened to the debates on the radio, Nixon had
won the contests. According to most of those who watched on television, however,
Kennedy had won.
In the end, Kennedy won the election. The invention of the television had forever
changed the political process. Can you name another technological invention or
innovation that might have changed the course of history? In what way or ways did it
do so? How do you think social media has impacted more current elections?
Academic Connection:
History
The Presidential Election of 1960
NASA
Figure 2-7. Construction of the James Webb Space
Telescope requires the work of many engineers.