LESSON 2 Flashcards
What is the Information Age?
The Information Age is a period where information is a key resource, marked by technology such as the internet, computers, and media, transforming how knowledge is shared and used.
What challenge does the Information Age present?
It blurs the line between information and noise, making it harder to distinguish truth from misinformation.
What is ‘information’ according to Chaisson and Ben-Nairn?
Information is meaning carried by words, which are more than just sounds—they are informed messages from speaker to listener.
What role does language play in science?
Language enables naming and classification, aiding understanding of the natural world—a foundational step in scientific inquiry.
What fascinated the Greeks about language?
They admired its power to transmit ideas, build communities, and share understanding across minds.
What is the meaning of ‘science’ from Latin?
From scire, meaning ‘to know.’
What is the Greek concept of meta phusis?
Meta phusis means ‘after nature’ and refers to the search for underlying principles in natural phenomena.
What is Plato’s principle of ‘One and the Many’?
It suggests a unity among diverse beings, with shared intrinsic natures, like genus and species in biology.
What role does mathematics play in understanding nature?
Mathematics is nature’s language—used to describe, predict, and control natural laws (Wigner, 1960).
Who contributed greatly to the use of mathematics in science?
Isaac Newton.
What is an early example of applied technology in ancient times?
Hero of Alexandria’s primitive steam engine in the 1st century.
What transformative invention arose from the importance of the written word?
The printing press.
Who invented the printing press and when?
Johannes Gutenberg, around 1440.
How did the printing press revolutionize society?
It enabled mass communication, reduced printing costs, and increased literacy by making books accessible beyond the elite.
What were the effects of the printing revolution?
Spread of knowledge, challenge to authority, and the rise of informed communities.
What was the first general-purpose electromechanical computer?
Harvard Mark 1, built during World War II for military calculations.
What was the Enigma machine?
A German cipher machine used for sending secure military messages.
Who broke the Enigma code?
Alan Turing and his team at Bletchley Park.
What machine did Alan Turing develop to break the Enigma?
The Bombe machine.
What major theoretical contribution did Turing make to computer science?
The Turing Machine, which led to the concept of a Universal Machine—foundation of modern computing.
What is the significance of Turing’s 1937 paper?
It introduced the concept of machines solving problems using instructions—a basis for computer programming.
What was the Homebrew Computer Club?
A 1970s group of hobbyists who exchanged computer parts and ideas, leading to personal computers.
Who co-founded Apple Inc.?
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
What did Steve Wozniak invent?
The Apple I computer, designing its hardware, OS, and circuit board.
