Timeline of Intellectual Revolutions in Science and Technology

A set of QUESTION_AND_ANSWER flashcards covering major eras, milestones, key figures, and global contributions in the history of science and technology as presented in the notes.

What are the ten major periods in the Timeline Framework for the history of science and technology as outlined in the notes?

Ancient Times (through 599 BCE); Antiquity (600 BCE – 529 CE); Medieval (530–1452); Renaissance and Scientific Revolution (1453–1659); Scientific Method (1660–1734); Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution (1735–1819); Science and Technology in the 19th Century (1820–1894); Rise of Modern Science and Technology (1895–1945); Big Science and Post-Industrial Society (1946–1972); Information Age (1973–Present).

What were the core capabilities of ANCIENT TIMES (through 599 BCE)?

Making useful tools, creating new materials, constructing large structures, curing diseases, developing mathematical rules.

Name at least three milestones of ANCIENT TIMES.

Stone tools; use of fire; wooden tools for hunting; ceramics and pottery; farming emerged; cast bronze; iron adoption.

What is the significance of ANCIENT TIMES in the history of science and technology?

Laid groundwork for later organized knowledge.

What institutional bases for science did Greeks establish in ANTIQUITY?

Academy, Lyceum, Museum (closed/destroyed in 529 CE).

What characterized the early scientific method in ANTIQUITY?

Observation-and-reasoning approach with limited experimentation; development of theories for natural phenomena.

What were Thales of Miletus’ key contributions?

Discovered seasons; divided year into 365 days; Sun and Moon each 1/720 of their orbits.

What were Plato’s contributions to science and learning?

Founded the Academy; taught Astronomy, Biology, Mathematics, Political Theory, Philosophy; dialectical method (logical reasoning).

What did Aristotle emphasize in his approach to science?

Empirical inquiry: collecting information from experience and classifying it; geocentrism and a focus on education as habit.

What were Pythagoras’ notable contributions?

Pythagorean theorem (a^2 + b^2 = c^2); Pythagorean tuning; five Platonic solids; Earth’s sphericity; identified morning/evening stars as Venus.

What is Archimedes known for in science and engineering?

Archimedes’ displacement principle and buoyancy; buoyant force Fb = ρext · g · Vsub.

In Medieval times, what were major diffusion centers and innovations?

House of Wisdom in Baghdad; translations of Arabic works into Latin reintroducing knowledge to Europe; Indians’ concept of zero as a number.

What regional contributions defined Medieval science (China, India, Islamic world)?

China: printing, mechanical devices, firearms; India: mathematics, astronomy, medicine (zero); Islamic world: algebra, algorithms, zero (Arabic origins).

What is SN 1054 historically significant for?

Observation of a supernova in the Crab Nebula (1054).

What Copernican milestone occurred in 1543?

Copernicus publishes heliocentric theory; sun-centered universe; challenges Aristotelian geocentrism and church orthodoxy.

What did Vesalius contribute to science?

Human anatomy work; shift toward empirical data in biology.

What was Galileo’s major scientific contribution?

Emphasis on experimentation and quantitative methods; telescopes and observations (e.g., planets, Venus).

What was the significance of printing during the Renaissance?

Printing books accelerated dissemination of science and technology knowledge.

What role did Isaac Newton play in the Scientific Method (1660–1734)?

Universal gravitation and three laws of motion; natural phenomena explained by mathematical laws; refined measurement and quantitative description.

What two ideas dominated the Enlightenment’s view of science and knowledge?

Empiricism (knowledge from experience) and rationalism (knowledge from reasoning).

What were key milestones in the 19th century for science and education?

Science as a paid profession; universities as centers of research; growth of scientific journals and national/international congresses; link between science education and technology.

What are the major scientific advances and societal shifts of Rise of Modern Science and Technology (1895–1945)?

X-rays; subatomic particles; radioactivity; quantum theory; relativity; laboratory-based research; big science; atomic bomb (1945).

What characterized Big Science and Post-Industrial Society (1946–1972)?

Accelerated S&T due to war/postwar needs; radar, penicillin, DDT, nuclear fission, missiles, jet aircraft, computers; shared equipment and interdisciplinary collaboration.

What defines the Information Age (1973–Present)?

Rise of global information networks; from Sumerian pictographs to Gutenberg press (1455), typewriter, telegraph, and especially the internet enabling instant information sharing.

Name the four great inventions of ancient China.

Compass, gunpowder, paper making, printing.

What is the Maya calendar system (summary)?

TZOLK’IN (260-day sacred round); Haab (365-day vague year); Calendar Round (interweaving of the two); Long Count (date mythical/historical events over >52 years; units: baktun, katun, tun, uinal, kin).

What is the Long Count unit breakdown for Maya calendar dates?

1 baktun = 144,000 days; 1 katun = 7,200 days; 1 tun = 360 days; 1 uinal = 20 days; 1 kin = 1 day.

What crops did the Maya cultivate according to the notes?

Peppers, corn, beans, squash, avocados, papayas.

List some Inca contributions to science and engineering.

Stone-paved roads; stone buildings; irrigation and water storage; calendar with 12 months; first suspension bridge (ichu grass ropes); quipu for counting; Machu Picchu; textile development.

List some Aztec contributions mentioned in the notes.

Mandatory education; cacao/chocolate; antispasmodic medicines; chinampa (floating gardens); Xiuhpohualli (365-day calendar); Tonalpohualli (260-day calendar); canoe invention.

What are the four great inventions of ancient China and their significance?

Compass, gunpowder, paper making, printing; foundational technologies that influenced global S&T development.

What role did the Middle East play in science and technology according to the notes?

Muslim-majority regions driven by nationalism and modernization; Arabs improved the watermill (Noria) and contributed to irrigation, machine design, and warfare advancements.

What African scientific and technological contributions are noted?

Kola nuts; coffee; medicinal plant use (salicylic acid for pain; remedies for diarrhea); spread of knowledge through trade networks.