In this section, you will find famous historic innovators, who your students may perceive in a new light after their study. For example, is it accurate to call prehistoric people ignorant? Was Leonardo Da Vinci just an artist?
This guided discussion leads students to an understanding of what technology is and how long humans have been engaged with it. Students are asked to provide examples of technology and identify the 10 most important technological innovations in history. This exercise may serve as a segue into your unit.
How were massive structures built by prehistoric people? There are no written records. However, scientists can make inferences and test their hypotheses as illustrated in this five-minute video clip. A background essay and discussion questions are included. MSP
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This link provides excerpts from ancient writings describing the uses of the Archimedes Screw. Click on Animations for both side and end views of the screw at work. Students can describe the source and direction of forces acting on the simple machine, approximate its mechanical advantage and hypothesize its limitations. Other links allow for exploration of Archimedes’ other inventions using simple machines. MSP
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Copyright
June 2007 — The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work
supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424671. Any
opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this
material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of
the National Science Foundation.
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This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons License.
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