Science, Technology, and Society - Chapter 1 Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering core definitions, historical figures, inventions, and concepts from Chapter 1 of Science, Technology, and Society.

Science

The systematic study of the natural world through observation, experimentation, and evidence.

Science (Abastillas, 2006)

The cumulative inquiry into nature using the scientific method, consisting of concepts, principles, theories, laws, and methods.

Technology

The application of scientific knowledge to solve practical problems and improve everyday life.

Society

Organized groups of people who share culture, traditions, government, economy, and institutions.

Nomads

People who move from one place to another, have no permanent homes, search for food and water, and live where resources are abundant.

Stone Tools

The earliest technology created by humans, used for hunting, preparing food, building shelters, cutting wood, and self-defense.

Paleolithic Age

Also referred to as the Old Stone Age.

Neolithic Age

Also known as the New Stone Age or Agricultural Revolution, when humans transitioned from hunting and gathering to farming and permanent settlements.

Mesopotamia

A region whose name comes from the Greek words 'meso' (meaning 'middle') and 'potam' (meaning 'river'), translated as the 'Land between Two Rivers' (Tigris River and Euphrates River).

Cradle of Civilization

A designation given to Mesopotamia because it was the first major civilization to develop agriculture, cities, government, writing, trade, mathematics, and engineering.

City of Uruk

Considered to be the first true city of the world, built without building stones and constructed with sun-baked bricks made of river mud/clay mixed with reeds.

Ziggurat

A terraced structure in Sumerian cities where corresponding kings lived, featuring a temple at the top reserved for high priests to serve patron gods and goddesses.

Cuneiform

The world's first writing system, created by Sumerians using wedge-shaped symbols written on clay tablets with a reed stylus.

Sexagesimal System

A base-60 number system developed by Sumerians and used by Babylonians, still utilized today for measurements such as 60 seconds = 1 minute, 60 minutes = 1 hour, and $360^\top$ in a circle.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

A mythical 75-foot-high structure of layered gardens built by King Nebuchadnezzar that required approximately 8,200 gallons of water daily, though no physical evidence of its existence exists.

Narmer

An ancient Egyptian pharaoh from the Early Dynastic Period considered to be the unifier of Egypt and founder of the First Dynasty; identified by most Egyptologists as Menes.

Canopic Jars

Jars used in Egyptian mummification to store removed internal organs (intestines, stomach, liver, lungs), associating each organ with a specific deity and cardinal direction.

Hieroglyphics

An Egyptian writing system made up of pictures of living creatures and symbols representing daily objects, also referred to as logograms.

Shaduf

A boom-and-basin irrigation strategy used by the ancient Egyptians.

Papyrus

A material developed by Egyptians to make paper for writing and recording information.

Theatron

The tiered seating area in a Greek theater where the audience watched the performance.

Orchestra (Greek Theater)

The circular space in a Greek theater where actors performed.

Skene

The stage in a Greek theater.

Socratic Method

A method developed by Socrates to analyze good and justice by breaking a problem down into a series of inquiries.

The Academy of Athens

The first institution of higher learning in the Western world, founded by Plato.

Empirical Approach (Aristotle)

An approach in studying nature developed by Aristotle, who also established the Theory of Four Causes (material, formal, efficient, final).

Atomism

A concept established by Democritus stating that everything in nature is made up of indivisible elements called atoms.

Roman Aqueduct

A system designed to carry water from distant springs and mountains into cities and towns through gravity.

Aqua Appia

The first Roman aqueduct, built in 312 BC, which connected Rome to a spring located approximately $16.4\text{ km}$ away.

Hypocaust

A hollow space underneath the floor of an ancient Roman building through which hot air was sent to heat a room or bath.

Tufa

A volcanic stone native to the region used as a building material by the ancient Romans.

Travertine

A white limestone utilized in Rome during the 2nd century B.C.E. as a substitute for marble.

Brick Tea

A dried tea cake created in ancient China by harvesting, processing, and compressing tea leaves, which was then ground using a stone mortar.

Great Wall of China

An extensive Chinese infrastructure project measuring $21,196.18\text{ km}$ in length and $6\text{--}7\text{ m}$ in height, built over approximately 200 years to protect China from invaders and control borders.

Gunpowder

An explosive black powder invented accidentally by Chinese alchemists attempting to achieve immortality, consisting of $75\%$ saltpeter (potassium nitrate), $15\%$ charcoal, and $10\%$ sulfur.