6b) The 'New' Industrial Age

Question 1

What inventions have been introduced to the 20th century?

Answer 1

Advances in tech (computing and electronics) invention on transistor and integrated circuits.

Development in materials such as composites, polymers and alloys

Question 2

What does ICs stand for?

Answer 2

Intergrated circuits

Question 3

How has advances in technology allowed products to improve?

Answer 3

Electronic Components such as ICs were miniaturised allowing:

smaller device sizing
Faster processing speeds
Lower power consumption
Lower manufacturing cost per function

Overall powerful and affordable

Question 4

What invention allowed the miniaturisation of ICs

Answer 4

Transistor which are semi-conductors.
Which is more efficient with what was used in the past the vacuum tube and thermionic valve.

This meant it could now fit millions of transistors in a small silicone piece

Question 6

What technological development allowed personal music players to be developed?

Answer 6

CD- reliable, wear free storage of digital files

Laser-reliable and non contact way of transmitting CD data

Question 7

Name and explain the impact of 2 technological advances in electronic products that have taken place since the 50s

Answer 7

The development of removable, digital storage
media such as CDs and DVDs made it possible
to dispense with tapes that had been used
previously, which were prone to stretching and
other damage. They also made it possible to store
much greater volumes of data
Capacitive touch screens facilitate electronic
devices such as smartphones having a fully
interactive screen and remove the need for
keyboards and other inputs. This makes it
possible to maximise the size of the screen and
make it easier to see.

Question 8

Use two specific examples to show how the development of integrated circuits (ICs] and computers
has changed the way that products are manufactured

Answer 8

Robotics is a central requirement of many
manufacturing systems. Robots rely on highly
sophisticated integrated circuits in order to
process the detailed sequences of movements that
need to take place. The signals from these ICs are
sent to the motors controlling the axes in order
to create the required movement to carry out the
task.
Concurrent engineering is the ability to carry
out stages of designing and manufacturing
simultaneously in order to bring products to
market more quickly. The communication
between members of the team that is required
to achieve this is only possible due to the use
of computers and associated network and
communication systems

Question 9

Explain 2 positives and 2 negatives on how obsolescence can have an impact on society.
Clue: use the car example

Answer 9

Positive:
Environmental standards for cars are
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constantly changing, which means that
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replacement vehicles can have more ‘green
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features such as electric power or reduced
. Wor
emissions
of ha
⁃ Older cars are sometimes less safe than
newer ones as they don’t incorporate safety
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systems such as collision detection or
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multiple air bags.
2 The ba
Negative:
setting
Scrapping cars can result in a toxic waste
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that is hard to dispose of, such as battery
makin
acid, brake fluid and air bag detonators.
back.
⁃ Taking older cars off the road means that
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there are fewer second-hand cars that are
in sett
affordable for sections of the population
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who don’t have high incomes.