Introduction to Technology

Chapter 2: Concepts of Technology 

Chapter Summaries

Section 2.1
Technology developed because people had ideas they turned into useful devices. The seven resources of technology include people, information, tools and machines, capital, time, materials, and energy. Companies buy resources needed to create new technology. They hire people with the knowledge and skill to make products.

Section 2.2
Technology has produced many systems and subsystems. A car engine is a subsystem of the automobile. An automobile is a complete system, but it is also a subsystem of our transportation system. In an open-loop system, input is the information, ideas, and activities needed to plan for production. Process is the construction stage. Output is what the system produces.

Section 2.3
Products are designed to meet the needs and wants of consumers. Marketing firms use advertising to create desire for new products. Product designers determine features, considering criteria and constraints. Trade-offs may be needed to turn a design into a new product that can be built at a reasonable cost. To protect people and the environment, we must monitor new technology to determine negative outcomes.