Computers of today

Pascal calculating machine

   In the 1600's, the French scientist Blaise Pascal had invented a machine that could perform arithmetical calculations. The idea intrigued scientists and engineers for the next 300 years. However, the necessary machinery was too large and cumbersome to have many applications.

   It was not until the 1950's that machines capable of storing and processing information quickly and compactly were developed. These computers rapidly made an impact on society and were improved from year to year. They not only operated ever more quickly, but they required a smaller and smaller amount of space to store gigantic amounts of information.

   By the mid-1980's computers performed many varied functions. They guided the flights of spacecraft and recorded every airline reservation in the world. They drew maps, kept accounts, and printed newspapers. Computers also played games with children, controlled the flow of fuel to a car's engine and solved complex mathematical questions. Problems in every field could be tackled that would have been considered impossible 60 years earlier.

What is a Vacuum cleaner?

The Vacuum Cleaner is an apparatus for removing dirt from household articles by means of suction, or a combination of brushing and suction. It was first used in 1901, when it consisted of a pump and a long pipe with a nozzle on the end that was to be applied to the article to be cleaned. The power of these vacuum cleaners was furnished by gasoline or electric motors, which were too large for portable use, and were mounted on trucks or carts which stood outside the house where the apparatus was being used. Later, these units were installed permanently in large buildings, and small, portable machines for home use came to be made in 1909. In many modern types the vacuum cleaner has been combined with the best parts of the old carpet sweeper.

Vacuum cleaner

Science and technology in the Renaissance

  The interest in observation and measurement took many forms during the Renaissance. Sailors had long been concerned about their exact location at sea. They used the stars to determine where they were. Their skills improved enormously with the invention of the compass. Perhaps the most detailed observations of the 1500's were of the human body. In 1543 the anatomist Andreas Vesalius produced a magnificently illustrated book containing the latest observations.
  Observation also led to inventions. A fertile inventor was Leonardo da Vinci, who made suggestions ranging from improved machines, with ratchets and gears, to possible ways of flying. Engineering skills were also required to build and maintain a press like the one in this printing shop.

Leonardo's flying machine