Science, Technology, and Society Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions, theories, historical antecedents, scientific revolutions, and national developments in Science, Technology, and Society.

Science

A dynamic, cumulative system of knowledge of the natural world gained through the scientific method, concerned with discovering natural phenomena and understanding what exists in nature.

Technology

The practical application of knowledge—originating from the Greek words tekhne ("art or craft") and logia ("subject or interest")—focused on modifying, controlling, or altering the natural world to satisfy human needs and wants.

Big Bang Theory

A cosmological model proposed by Georges Lemaître in 1927 (originally called the "Hypothesis of the Primeval Atom") stating that the universe expanded from an extremely dense and hot state approximately 13.7 billion years ago.

Steady State Theory

A cosmological theory developed by Fred Hoyle in 1948 asserting that the universe is infinite with no beginning or end, and that new matter is continuously created as it expands.

Oscillating Theory

A cyclic cosmological model developed by Albert Einstein in 1930 proposing that the universe follows an eternal series of oscillations, each starting with a big bang and ending with a big crunch.

Creation Theory

A belief system asserting that an infinite, transcendent Creator or Unmoved Mover created the universe and all existing matter from nothing.

First-Wave Technology

Pre-industrial agricultural technologies that are labor-intensive, small-scale, decentralized, and based on empirical knowledge rather than scientific principles.

Second-Wave Technology

Industrial technologies developed from the Industrial Revolution through World War II that are capital-intensive and based on classical principles of physics, chemistry, and biology.

Third-Wave Technology

Post-industrial or high technologies that are science-intensive and based on modern knowledge of molecular, atomic, and nuclear structures and interactions.

Basic Research

Fundamental scientific research aimed purely at acquiring new knowledge and gaining a deeper understanding of natural phenomena without immediate commercial or practical applications.

Applied Research

Scientific inquiry directed toward the practical application of knowledge to solve specific real-world problems or develop interventions.

Mission-Oriented Research

Targeted scientific research conducted specifically to accomplish a designated technological objective or specific mission.

Scientific Revolution

A period of major intellectual achievements from the 16th to 17th century that marked a radical transformation in the assumptions, attitudes, and methods of scientific inquiry.

Nicolaus Copernicus

A Polish mathematician and astronomer who published De revolutionibus orbium coelestium in 1543, proposing the heliocentric model of the universe where planets revolve around the Sun.

Johannes Kepler

A German astronomer and mathematician who calculated planetary orbits using Tycho Brahe's astronomical observational data, demonstrating that planets move in elliptical orbits rather than perfect circles.

Galileo Galilei

An Italian astronomer who constructed a telescope to observe planetary features and Jupiter's moons, proved objects fall at the same speed regardless of weight, and was tried by the Inquisition for defending heliocentrism.

Sir Isaac Newton

An English mathematician and scientist who formulated the law of universal gravitation, invented calculus, and established the three universal laws of motion in Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy.

Natural Selection

The evolutionary mechanism formulated by Charles Darwin in On the Origin of Species (1859) by which organisms with inherited variations best suited to their local environment survive and reproduce in greater numbers.

Adaptation

Any heritable characteristic or trait that enhances an organism's ability to survive and reproduce in its specific environment.

Fitness

The measure of an organism's ability to survive, reproduce, and pass its evolutionary adaptations on to subsequent generations in a specific environment.

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

A French biologist who hypothesized that organisms acquire or lose traits through the use or disuse of organs during their lifetime and pass those acquired characteristics on to offspring.

Thomas Malthus

An English economist who posited that human population grows faster than the food supply, creating a competitive struggle for existence limited by war, famine, and disease.

Sigmund Freud

An Austrian neurologist known as the father of psychoanalysis who proposed the iceberg model of mind consciousness and the tripartite structural model of personality.

Id

The primitive, biological component of personality present from birth that operates entirely in the unconscious on the pleasure principle, seeking immediate gratification of instincts.

Ego

The realistic component of personality that develops from the id, operating on the reality principle to control voluntary action, self-preservation, and rational decision-making.

Superego

The moral branch of personality that develops out of the ego to act as an internal conscience, enforcing societal standards, morality, and feelings of guilt or pride.

Cuneiform

An ancient Sumerian writing system consisting of word pictures and wedge-shaped or triangular marks pressed into clay tablets.

Sexagesimal

A base-60 positional numerical system developed by the Sumerians that was used for counting, mathematical calculations, and dividing a circle into 360 degrees.

Ziggurat

A massive terraced step-pyramid structure in ancient Mesopotamia constructed as a sacred temple dedicated to the chief deity of a Sumerian city.

Code of Hammurabi

An ancient Babylonian legal code compiled under King Hammurabi establishing standardized laws, economic rules, and severe penalties across Mesopotamia.

Hieroglyphics

A formal writing system utilized by ancient Egyptians that employed pictorial symbols to represent individual objects, actions, or sound values.

Papyrus

A thick paper-like material manufactured from the pith of the papyrus reed plant along the Nile, used by ancient Egyptians as a writing surface.

Hippocrates

An ancient Greek physician recognized as the "Father of Greek Medicine" who detached medical practice from religious superstition, teaching that diseases have natural physiological causes.

Ptolemy

An ancient Greco-Roman astronomer and mathematician who authored the Almagest and formalized the geocentric model of the universe.

Qanat

A gently sloping underground aqueduct system developed in ancient Persia to channel water from an underground aquifer to surface communities and agricultural fields.

Printing Press

A mechanical printing technology developed in Europe by Johannes Gutenberg around 1440 utilizing cast movable metal type and a wooden press mechanism to mass-produce written works.

Canon of Medicine

A celebrated 14-volume medical encyclopedia compiled by the Persian/Arab physician Avicenna (Ibn Sina) that systematically compiled Greco-Roman and Islamic medical knowledge.

Pasteurization

A heat-treatment process invented by French microbiologist Louis Pasteur to destroy pathogenic microorganisms in milk and beverage products to prevent spoilage and disease.

Computer

A programmable device capable of automatically carrying out complex sequences of arithmetic or logical operations, conceptually pioneered by English engineer Charles Babbage.

Computed Tomography

A medical diagnostic technology (CT scan) that utilizes computer-processed combinations of multiple X-ray measurements taken from various angles to construct detailed cross-sectional images of body structures.

Baybayin

An ancient pre-colonial Philippine syllabary script widely utilized by indigenous coastal inhabitants in Luzon and the Visayas for writing.

Laguna Copperplate Inscription

A pre-colonial legal document inscribed on a copper sheet dated Siyaka 822 (900 AD), serving as the earliest known calendar-dated written artifact discovered in the Philippines.

Babaylan

Indigenous pre-colonial Philippine shamans, spiritual leaders, and traditional healers who practiced herbal medicine and ritual healing within tribal communities.

Bureau of Science

The primary scientific research institution established in the Philippines during the American colonial period, reorganized from the Bureau of Government Laboratories.

PAGASA

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, established under President Ferdinand Marcos to provide weather forecasting, astronomical monitoring, and public disaster safety.

Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999

Republic Act No. 8749 enacted under President Joseph Estrada to formulate a comprehensive national program for environmental protection and air pollution management.

Filipinnovation

An overarching national innovation strategy framework formulated during the presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to position the Philippines as a competitive innovation hub in Asia.

Ramon C. Barba

A Filipino horticulturist and National Scientist renowned for inventing a chemical treatment method using potassium nitrate and ethanol to induce off-season flowering in mango trees.

Edgardo Gomez

A prominent Filipino marine biologist and National Scientist who directed the world's first nationwide assessment of damaged coral reefs and pioneered giant clam breeding.

Fe Del Mundo

A pioneering Filipina pediatrician and National Scientist who founded the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines and dedicated her career to child healthcare.