2.5 Major Developments in Technology Flashcards
Early 19th century
Electrical batteries and circuits:
- Basic lighting
- Motors
- Switches
Early 20th century
Vacuum tube (thermionic valve):
- Early amplifiers - Radios - TV's - Computers
1940s
Transistor (semi-conductor):
- Portable radios and a reduction in the size of other electronic
products
1960s
‘Microelectronic’ ICs (approx 500 transistors):
- More powerful computers and highly portable devices such as
music players
1980s
Ultra large-scale ICs (ULSI) (1000000+ transistors):
- Laptops and mobile phones
2017
10 billion+ transistors ICs:
- Supercomputers and prospect of even more powerful mobile
devices
Impact of compact cassette
Portability and convenience of enclosed recording tape
Cheap, easy to use and relatively reliable
Impact of CD
Reliable, wear-free storage of digital files
Portable and relatively high storage capacity
Impact of laser
Reliable, non-contact, light transmission of CD data
Impact of Ni-Mh batteries
Rechargeable, portable power
Impact of LCD display
Facilitates user display interface
Consumes less power than previous displays
Impact of MP3 (compressed digital audio)
Increased capacity of devices to store more songs
Impact of miniature hard drive
High-capacity storage capability
Impact of lithium batteries
Rechargeable power and longer battery life
Impact of flash (IC) storage
No moving parts improving reliability
Impact of capacitive touch screen
Improvements to user control and display interface