Discussion: Great Inventions of All Time

Name
Course
Instructor
Date
Discussion
1
-- Who was Blaise Pascal, and what did he contribute to new scientific discoveries? What methods and experiments did he use?
Pascal invented his own calculator and conducted an experiment to validate Torricelli's work on barometrical variations, and he proposed Pascal's low of pressure. Pascal conducted atmospheric pressure experiments by recording pressure at different heights. His findings on Pascal's triangle and the theory of probability are useful in mathematics. The discoveries were made through observations and experiments.
-- What was learned about reflection and refraction in this time period?  Were there any important optical experiments performed?
There was a focus on understanding reflection and refraction of light, and Isaac Newton's experimented using sunlight and prisms to show light had the seven visible colors of the rainbow. There were also projectile theorists who tried to explain the reflection of light.
-- What was "Mayow's experiment, and what did it show?
Mayow conducted a candle experiment where he showed the air was required for combustion where the air is consumed in combustion respiration when a lit candle is placed in an enclosed container with water. Oxygen is used for combustion.
-- In what ways was the functioning of the human body increasingly related to machines?
The human body has many parts that should work together for the body to function, including muscles required for movement. There are interconnected tissue functions, and the body is related to various parts that work together. Fiber related terms and the working of the hydraulic machines where fluids circulate also influenced ideas about the body.
-- What mechanical ideas of reproduction emerged?
Mechanical inventions and technology were beneficial to support production activities and reproduction. The technology was most useful to achieve mass production
2
-- With the coming of the Industrial Revolution, science took on a much more practical aspect.  What forms did this practicality take?
There were ideas about inventions that people thought of actualizing, such as the telephone, but had faced numerous challenges. One of the most notable practicalities was in using steam to power machines at a time when factories were being constructed for industrial power production.
-- How did concern about the French Revolution shape attitudes toward science in England in the 1790s and afterward?
In a rational society, there was a focus on reforms and a focus on knowledge, freedom. In England, reforms, and interest in empirical discoveries, there were experiments on mechanics, astronomy, optics, biology, and chemistry. There was more interest in experiments as the French Revolution emphasized freedom and intellectuals focused on reason. The societies also increasingly focused on spe...