Science and Technology, Part 1
16 sciences, 9 instruments, 17 units, 16 diseases, 8 space "firsts," 6 scientists, and 12 inventions — all grouped into families so they're easy to remember.
3.1 Studies in Science
| What it studies | The science | Clue inside the word |
|---|---|---|
| Measurement of the Earth | geodesy | geo- = Earth |
| Fossil plants | palaeobotany | palaeo-=ancient + botany=plants |
| Blood/lymph vessels | angiology | angio- = blood vessel |
| Gravity or weight | barology | baro- = weight/pressure |
| Tumours | oncology | onco- = tumour |
| Birds' nests | caliology | learn as a whole word |
| Fingerprints | dactylography | dactylo- = finger |
| Air navigation | aeronautics | aero- = air |
| Cells | cytology | cyto- = cell |
| Radioactivity | radiology | radio- = rays |
| Glands | endocrinology | endocrine glands → hormones |
| Sounds | acoustics | a concert hall's "acoustics" |
| Insects | entomology | entomo- = insect |
| Rocks | petrology | petro- = rock (petrified!) |
| Winds | anemology | anemo- = wind |
| Old age | gerontology | geronto- = old age |
Entomology (en-TOM-ology) = insects. Etymology = word origins. They sound almost identical but mean totally different things!
Body (3): angiology, oncology, endocrinology. Nature/Earth (5): geodesy, palaeobotany, petrology, anemology, gerontology. Small living things (2): cytology, entomology. Detecting/recording (3): dactylography, radiology, caliology. Physical science (2): acoustics, aeronautics.
3.2 Scientific Instruments
Nine instruments — the easiest section, since each has a real picture in your book!
| What it does | Instrument |
|---|---|
| Altitude of stars, angular distance | sextant |
| Converts high/low voltage | transformer |
| Detects/measures electric current | galvanometer |
| Observation of tiny objects | microscope |
| Measures blood pressure | sphygmomanometer |
| Specific gravity of liquids | hydrometer |
| Detects submarines in the sea | sonar |
| Records rainfall | rain gauge |
| Speed, direction, strength of wind | anemometer |
galvanometer — "galvan-" = electricity (named after Galvani). anemometer — same "anemo-" as anemology (wind) from Section 1! It MEASURES wind; anemology STUDIES it. hydrometer — hydro- = liquid.
3.3 Units of Measurement
17 units — a pure memory list. Group by subject to make it manageable!
| What it measures | Unit |
|---|---|
| ⚡ Voltage / Charge / Resistance / Conductance / Inductance / Current / Power | volt, coulomb, ohm, mho, henry, ampere, watt |
| 🔥 Heat / Work or energy | calorie, joule |
| 💡 Wavelength of light / Light intensity | angstrom, candela |
| 〰️ Frequency | hertz |
| 💪 Force | newton |
| 💨 Pressure / Atmospheric pressure | pascal, bar |
| 🌡️ Absolute temperature | kelvin |
| ⭐ Stellar distances | light year |
Current (ampere) flows because of voltage, against resistance (ohm) — or its opposite, conductance (mho) — through a coil with inductance (henry), carrying charge (coulomb), using power (watt). Two anchors: calorie is on food labels, candela comes from "candle."
mho is "ohm" spelled backwards — chosen deliberately since conductance is the mathematical opposite of resistance! Pascal = ordinary pressure; bar = specifically atmospheric pressure.
3.4 Diseases
16 diseases, sorted into just 4 groups!
| Disease | Cause |
|---|---|
| beriberi | deficiency of vitamin B1 |
| night blindness | deficiency of vitamin A |
| scurvy | deficiency of vitamin C |
| rickets | deficiency of vitamin D |
| anaemia | deficiency of iron |
| goitre | deficiency of iodine |
| diabetes | deficiency of hormone insulin |
| cretinism | insufficient thyroid hormone |
| tuberculosis | Bacillus tuberculosis |
| tetanus | Clostridium tetani |
| typhoid | Salmonella typhi |
| cholera | infected food and water |
| rabies | bite of infected animal |
| plague | bite of rat fleas |
| sleeping sickness | bite of tsetse fly |
| malaria | plasmodium parasite |
Deficiency (6): beriberi(B1), night blindness(A), scurvy(C), rickets(D), anaemia(iron), goitre(iodine). Hormone (2): diabetes, cretinism. Bite (3): rabies, plague, sleeping sickness. Named bacteria (3): tuberculosis, tetanus, typhoid.
Abu Ali Ibn Sina (Avicenna) discovered the contagious nature of infectious diseases in the early 11th century and introduced quarantine, in his 14-volume book The Canon of Medicine.
3.5 Space Exploration
All "firsts" in space history — learn each as a tiny story!
| The "first" | Answer |
|---|---|
| First to use a telescope on the heavens | Galileo |
| First man in space | Yuri Gagarin |
| SECOND person on the moon | Edwin Aldrin |
| First satellite to orbit Earth | Sputnik I |
| Planet discovered by William Herschel | Uranus |
| First to realise comets orbit the sun | Edmund Halley |
| American space travellers | Astronauts |
| Russian space travellers | Cosmonauts |
Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon FIRST. Aldrin came out SECOND, minutes later. If the question specifically asks for the SECOND person, that's Aldrin, not Armstrong!
Scientists have discovered twenty planets that have a sun like ours, and that might contain alien life! And here's a bonus fact: William Herschel discovered Uranus in 1781 — it was the first planet ever found using a telescope (every planet before it was bright enough to spot with just the naked eye).
3.6 Famous Scientists
Six scientists, each with a full story to remember.
| Scientist | What to remember |
|---|---|
| Albert Einstein | German, born 1879. Famous for Relativity. Won 1921 Nobel Prize for Photoelectric Effect (NOT Relativity!) |
| Thomas Alva Edison | Phonograph, incandescent lamp, first talking moving picture. |
| Alexander Graham Bell | Telephone. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Also the photophone. Took great interest in educating the deaf-mute. |
| Edward Jenner | Born 1749. Discovered smallpox prevention via milk cowpox vaccine. |
| Sir C. V. Raman | Indian. Nobel Prize for Physics, 1930. Was knighted. First Asian scientist to win a Nobel Prize. |
| Louis Pasteur | French. Microbes cause disease. Pasteurization. Vaccines for rabies and anthrax. |
Everyone assumes Einstein won his Nobel Prize FOR Relativity. Wrong! He won it in 1921 for explaining the Photoelectric Effect — a completely different piece of work. A favourite True/False trap!
3.7 Inventions and Inventors
12 inventions matched to their inventors — reuse names you already know!
| Invention | Inventor |
|---|---|
| Microwave oven | Percy Spencer |
| Safety razor | King Camp Gillette |
| Electric light bulb | Thomas Edison (from 3.6!) |
| Fountain pen | L. E. Waterman |
| Radio | G. Marconi |
| Bicycle | K. Macmillan |
| Typewriter | Christopher Sholes |
| Elevator (safety lift) | E. G. Otis |
| Television | John Logie Baird |
| Non-stick pan | Mark Gregoire |
| Thermometer | G. D. Fahrenheit |
| Computer | Charles Babbage — "father of the computer" |
The motor car was brought to the world in 1885 by Daimler (Germany). But mass motoring — making cars affordable for everyone — was Henry Ford's contribution. Two different people, two different achievements!
Practice like the real exam
(a) oncology
Sphygmomanometer
Calorie
(b) vitamin D
Galileo
False — he won it for the Photoelectric Effect!
Charles Babbage
Entomology
Palaeobotany
True
(b) specific gravity of liquids
Sonar
(b) mho
Light year
Deficiency of vitamin B1
Plasmodium parasite
Abu Ali Ibn Sina (Avicenna), in The Canon of Medicine.
Astronauts
(a) Yuri Gagarin
(b) Uranus
That smallpox can be prevented by injecting a person with milk cowpox vaccine.
Sir C. V. Raman
True
John Logie Baird
(a) Percy Spencer
Daimler (Germany, 1885) invented the motor car; Henry Ford made mass motoring possible.
Ampere
Newton (named after Sir Isaac Newton)
Sputnik I
You did it! 🎉
🏁 GK Chapter 2 · Sections 3.1–3.7 · Niyati, Class 6