NS5: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 

Unit 9: “ SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY”

1- Environmental problems

2- Technology

3.- Robotic

4.- Science challenges.

5.- Women in Science

 

1.- Environmental problems

The main enviromental problems on Earth are: air pollution, water pollution, overpopulation, deforestation and overfishing. They are also factors that produce  the climate change.

1.1.- Air pollution

  Air pollution is defined as the contamination of the atmosphere.Air pollution occurs when gases, dust, smoke, or odor get into the air and make it unclean. Air pollution is unsafe for humans, plants and animals to breathe.

1.2.- Water pollution

Water pollution is defined as the contamination of seas and rivers.Water pollution is what happens when various harmful substances get into a stream, river, or ocean, and contaminate it. These harmful substances cause the overall quality of the water to decrease and make it toxic to living creatures and the surrounding environment.

1.3.- Overpopulation

Over popullation means that there are too many people in the planet.Overpopulation is the state whereby the human population rises to an extent exceeding the carrying capacity of the ecological setting. In an overpopulated environment, the numbers of people might be more than the available essential materials for survival such as transport, water, shelter, food or social amenities. At this point it is important the concept of carbón footprint.

1.4.- Deforestation

Deforestation is to cut down too many trees in a place.Deforestation is the clearing, or cutting down, of forests. The word is normally used to describe the actions of humans in removing forests from the planet, rather than destruction caused by such natural events as hurricanes. People have been cutting down trees for thousands of years.

1.5 .- Overfishing

Over fishing is to catch too much fishOverfishing is the overharvesting of fish and marine animals. The practice involves catching so many of one species at such a rate that the species is unable to recover to normal quantities. Overfishing reduces some species to such low numbers that their survival is endangered. It drives others to extinction.

Activities

1.- List the most important environmental problems.

2.- When do air pollution occur?

3.- When do water pollution happen?

4.- What is overpopulation?

5.- What is deforestation?

6.- What is overfishing?

 

 

2.- Technology

Technology influences in our lives. It helps us at work, at home and in our free time. There are a lot of inventions which make us our live easier such as phones and machines at home,

§   Phone.- Phones are small computers.You can send messages, find information on internet, listen to music and so on.

§  Machines at home.- Some examples are: dishwashers, microwave,refigerators and so on.There are energy-saving light bulbs are very efficient.

 Technology is in everywhere: industry, education, transport, free time and  health.

§   Industry.-There are also  industrial changes. Companies are using enviromentally friendly new machines. Government create laws to control industries.

§  Education.-We can find in our classrooms digital boards, tablets and e-books.

§  Transport.-Thanks to the technology our methods of transports are more fasters and secure. Some of them are environmentally friendl using eco-fuel, bio-diesel or solar energy.

§  Free time.- You can watch a movie on TV or at the cinema in three dimensions and special effects. Most mobile phones allow us to make photos or a video.

§  Health.-Examples of technology in a hospital are X-ray, CT scans which help us to detect diseases. There are devices to measure the level of sugar in blood and blood pressure.

 

   Activities

1.- List the places where the technology has changed our lives.

2.- Explain the health changes.

3.- Explain the free time changes.

4.- Explain the education changes.

 

3.- Robotic

3.3.1.-What is robotics ?

Robotics is a branch of engineering and computer science that involves the conception, design, manufacture and operation of robots. The objective of the robotics field is to create intelligent machines that can assist humans in a variety of ways. Robotics can take on a number of forms.

332.- What is a robot?

A robot is an autonomous machine capable of sensing its environment, carrying out computations to make decisions, and performing actions in the real world.

3.3.3.- Common types of robots

-         Articulated Robots. The robotic arm

-         Humanoids. ...

-         Robots in medicine

-         Robots at home such as cooking robots and vacuum cleaner.

 

Activities

1.- What is the objective of the robotic field?

2.- Can robots perform actions in real life?

3.- Which type of robot do you prefer? Draw.

 

4.- Science challenges

Science faces many challenges today, including climate change, disease, astronomy, economy and inequality. These challenges require new scientific discoveries and innovation.

·        Climate change.- Climate change refers to long-term changes in temperatures and weather.

·        Diseases.- Medicine advances with technology make our life easier.

·        Astronomy.- Technology facilitates space explorations and involve expeditions to the other planets and settlements on the Moon.

·        Economy.- There are  three fundamental economic problems: what to produce, how to produce, and for whom to produce.

·        Inequality.- The most important is to build bridges between cultures, fairness, tolerance, and inclusión. In some countries women don´t have the same opportunities tan men to get a job.

   Activities

1.- List the science challenges in today´s world.

2.- Which is the most important for you? Discuss with your patner.

 

 

5.- Women in Science

The most remarkable ones are:

1.- Hipatia de Alejandría.- She was the first scientist woman in History. She was the inventor of various equipaments for Physics and Astronomy.

2.- Ada Lovelace.- She invented the analitic machines which was very important in the computation field.

3.- Marie Curie.- She estudied the radioactive materials for which gained the Nobel Prized in Physics  and Chemistry.

 

 

   Activities

1.- List 3 important women in Science.

2.- Which is the most remarkable for you? Discuss with your patner.