Discovery, Innovation, and Risk: Case Studies in Science and Technology (New Liberal Arts)

Copp, Newton H. H.; Zanella, Andrew W.

ISBN 10: 0262531119 / ISBN 13: 9780262531115

Published by MIT Press, 1992

About this Item

First edition paperback issue of this interdisciplinary MIT Press study exploring the relationship among scientific discovery, technological innovation, engineering, society, and risk.

Rather than presenting scientific principles in isolation, Copp and Zanella organize the material around historical case studies illustrating how science moves into practical technology?and how technological development sometimes precedes complete scientific understanding.

Examples include telecommunications and electromagnetism, Faraday and hydroelectric power, the Wright brothers and aviation, steam power, petroleum refining, prestressed concrete, vaccines, nuclear power, and the greenhouse effect. MIT Press describes the book as emphasizing the complex interplay among science, engineering, society, and technological risk.

Published as part of the New Liberal Arts series. The work received attention in contemporary history-of-science and technology journals, including reviews in Isis and Technology and Culture.

Condition
Very Good. Illustrated softcover with moderate rubbing and superficial scratching to the glossy covers, more noticeable on the dark rear panel. Light edge and corner wear. Spine remains straight and lettering clear. Binding appears firm.
Interior pages appear clean and sound with no significant writing, highlighting, tears, or other defects visible in the material examined. A clean, usable scholarly copy.

Significance / Collector Appeal
An appealing history-of-technology teaching text because it combines genuine historical case studies with discussions of scientific method and engineering risk rather than functioning simply as a technical textbook.

The contents cover a surprisingly broad range of collectible subject areas?Curie, Faraday, the Wright brothers, telecommunications, electricity, petroleum, vaccines, nuclear power, environmental science, and the history of engineering.

Shipping / Returns
Carefully packed for shipment. Domestic shipping via USPS Media Mail unless otherwise requested. Expedited and international shipping available where permitted. Returns accepted in accordance with AbeBooks policies.
SCI 4a.

Seller Inventory # ABE-1787788426846

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Discovery, Innovation, and Risk: Case Studies in Science and Technology (New Liberal Arts)
• Publisher: MIT Press
• Publication Date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0262531119
• ISBN 13: 9780262531115
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: Very Good
• Dimensions: 6W x 9H x 1D inches 6 inches width by 9 inches height by 1 inches depth
• Weight: 1.499 pounds
• Seller catalogs:
  • Engineering
  • History of Science
  • Philosophy of Science
  • Technology

About this title

Synopsis

How do scientific principles work in the real world? Discovery, Innovation, and Risk presents brief descriptions of selected scientific principles in the context of interesting technological examples to illustrate the complex interplay among science, engineering, and society. An understanding of scientific principles is developed through the technology rather than in isolation from it. Drawn from significant contributions to modern culture that arose during the Second Industrial Revolution, examples depict events in each of the major divisions of engineering, touch on key principles in physics, chemistry, and biology, and introduce the important concept of risk. Case studies in the first section emphasize technological developments growing directly from scientific discoveries. These cases include telegraphy and the origin of telecommunications as an application of discoveries in electromagnetism, hydroelectric power as an outgrowth of Faraday's work in electromagnetic induction, and the airplane as a product of the Wright brothers' scientific approach to an engineering problem. Case studies in the second section show that technological innovation can proceed without a full understanding of the underlying science, as in the development of steam power for use in electric power plants, the production of gasoline from crude oil, and the development of prestressed concrete for use in building bridges. The fact that new technological developments often bring risks is amply illustrated in the third section by case studies on vaccines, the greenhouse effect, and atomic power.Newton H. Copp is Associate Professor of Biology and Andrew W. Zanella is Professor of Chemistry, both in the joint Science Department of Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges of The Claremont Colleges, Claremont, California.

About the Author

Andrew W. Zanella is Professor of Chemistry in the joint Science Department of Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges of The Claremont Colleges, Claremont, California.