Technology

A steam turbine

Technology is the skills, methods, and processes used to achieve goals. The word has been in use since the 17th century.

People can use technology to:

• Produce goods or services
• Carry out goals, such as scientific investigation or sending a spaceship to the moon
• Solve problems, such as disease or famine
• Do things we already do, but more easily.

Technology can be knowledge of how to do things. Some machiness have automatic controls. This lets others use the machines without knowing how they work. Technological systems use technology by taking something, changing it, then producing a result. They are also known as technology systems.

The most simple form of technology is the development and use of basic tools. The discovery of fire and the Neolithic Revolution made food easier to get. Other inventions, such as the wheel and the ship, helped people to transport goods and themselves. Information technology, such as the printing press, the telephone, and the Internet, has led to globalization.

People have used technology for millions of years. Without food technology, most people would die.

Etymology

The word "technology" comes from two Greek words:

• τέχνη, techne, meaning "art, skill, or cunning of hand"
• -λογία, -logia, a suffix meaning "the study of"

Related pages

• Engineering
• Inventor