The Handy Technology Answer Book (The Handy Answer Book Series) - Softcover

Balaban, Naomi; Bobick, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1578595630 ISBN 13: 9781578595631

Publisher: Visible Ink Press, 2016

Synopsis

Exploring technology and how it made—and continues to change—the modern world!

Technology pervades our daily lives and modern society, and not just when it comes to computers and smart phones. Before there was the computer, there was the abacus. Before the smart phone, there was the telegraph and ball point pen. Electricity, penicillin, and the compass have all led to revolutionary changes in how we live. From the relationship between science and technology to the four major branches of engineering to nanotechnology, robots, and predictions for future technology, The Handy Technology Answer Book is an ideal introduction to technology in everyday life. The newsworthy, the practical, the latest and historical, are all detailed in this entertaining and informative book.  It brings the vast changes and major innovations into focus through well-researched answers to more than 1,100 common questions on technology, such as …

What are the major time periods of technology?

Who is considered to be the first engineer?

Which individual was granted the most U.S. patents?

Who is the only U.S. president to receive a patent?

How do copyrights differ from patents and trademarks?

What is the Turing Award?

What are the tasks of an operating system?

How did the term “glitch” originate?

How many time zones are there in the world?

What is the world population of robots?

What is the most destructive non-lethal weapon?

Why is mining an important technology?

Why are the rare earth elements important?

What is “green building”?

Who built the Brooklyn Bridge?

How are U.S. highways numbered?

How popular are electric vehicles in the United States?

Why is the right side of a ship called “starboard”?

What products are made from recycled plastic?

Who was the first person to receive gene therapy?

Can human beings be cloned?

Providing the facts, stats, science and a little bit of history, The Handy Technology Answer Book answers important questions about the most important inventions, key breakthroughs, and the towering personalities behind them. It spotlights the tallest, smallest, fastest, longest, and the wide range of human firsts and current bests.

About this title

About the Authors

Naomi E. Balaban, a reference librarian for more than twenty-five years at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, has extensive experience in the areas of science and consumer health. She edited, with James Bobick, The Handy Science Answer Book, The Handy Anatomy Answer Book, and The Handy Biology Answer Book. She has a background in linguistics and a master’s degree in library science.

James Bobick recently retired after sixteen years as Head of the Science and Technology Department at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. During the same time, he taught the science resources course in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. He recently co-authored, with G. Lynn Berard of Carnegie Mellon University, Science and Technology Resources: A Guide for Information Professionals and Researchers. He has master’s degrees in both biology and library science.

Edition details

• Publisher: Visible Ink Press
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1578595630
• ISBN 13: 9781578595631
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 464