TECH EDUCATION

List of 7 Inputs of a Technological System – Examples Included

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Inputs are resources used to make a technological-system operational. Additionally, these are elements changed by technological-processes or used by technology to change other inputs. In fact, there are 7 major categories of inputs and this article will provide you with a detailed review of all these inputs.

 

The 7 Major Inputs Of A Technological System:

  1. People: Humans are actually considered as the most important input of a technological-system and this is mainly because systems are a product of people’s efforts. In fact, human minds create and design the systems and their outputs, they use skills to fabricate and operate systems efficiently. So, this makes people a fundamental key to technological-systems. On the other hand, people can be characterized into several groups which all help to build and operate a technological-system and these groups of people include;
  • Creative people: These people feature creative abilities in order to design systems and products. These people also include designers that help to develop ideas for the product, decide the size, shape and color of the product.

 

  • Scientists: These people help to develop the basic knowledge needed to develop products and processes. In fact, these include; engineers and technologists who both use their knowledge to create and operate a technological-system. Lastly, scientists work with physics, scientific-materials, geological and chemistry knowledge.

 

  • Engineers: These people help to apply scientific and technological knowledge in designing structures, products and systems. They also decide on the appropriate materials and processes needed to produce products or services. For example, mechanical-engineers will decide on the right materials for automobile parts and electrical-engineers will help to design computer-components like circuits and a lot more.

 

  • Technologists: These people help in the manufacturing and construction of personnel application engineering designs and even solve production processes. They include industrial and engineering technologists who help to maintain technological systems like; technicians, craftspeople and mechanics.

 

  • Workers: These are production-worker in the manufacturing section and they are often categorized into skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers. For example, skilled-workers have extensive-training and usually operate computer-systems, semi-skilled workers do tasks that require limited training and unskilled-workers do tasks require minimum or no training.

 

  • Management: this group of people helps to establish and operate businesses. they include managers that help to organize and direct the work of others while entrepreneurs help to create businesses and have vision of what can be done while taking risks to see what happens. In fact, entrepreneurial-skills and managerial-abilities are not the same.

 

  • Consumers: this is the final-group of people involved in a technological-system. Their need for products, information, and mobility leads to the development and rise of technological-systems. In fact, consumers’ money is spent on buying final products and services and this implies that they financially support a technological-system.

 

  1. Tools/Machines: Tools are a technical-means that must be present for technological-systems to be developed. These can be hand-tools, machines or other equipment used to increase on people ability when developing technological-systems. All in all. tools are simple devices used to perform basic-tasks and they include;
  • Common Hand-Tools: every technological-system uses a common set of hand-tools to produce, maintain and service products. These hand-tools are grouped into 6-categories which include; measuring-tools, cutting-tools, drilling-tools, gripping-tools, pounding-tools and polishing-tools.

 

  • Mechanisms: These are basic devices used to power-up or adjust machines or equipment. They are actually referred to as simple machines in physics, work in 2 basic principles and can be grouped into 6-categories which include; Lever, wheel and axle, pulley, incline-plane, wedge and screw.

 

  1. Materials: These are all-natural matter that are directly or indirectly uses by a technological-system. In fact, some materials provide structure of technological-device while other materials support the productive actions of a system. Additionally , materials exist in different types which include;
  • Organic-materials: These are materials that come from living-organisms like; wood, flax & cotton are products of plants, leather, wool and meat are products of animals, fuel (gas) and coal are products of fossilized organic-materials.
  • Inorganic-materials: These are products that don’t come from living organisms and they include; ceramics, metals, cement (limestone) and a lot more.
  • Natural-materials: These are materials that occur naturally on earth like iron, carbon, silica, soda-ash and petroleum. In fact, these materials can be refined and combined to make products.
  • Synthetic-materials: These are human-made materials developed and produced from cellulose and they include; plastics, natural-gas and petroleum.
  • Exhaustible-materials: These are materials that naturally occur on earth but can’t be replaced nature or human-action. These materials are in limited quantities on earth and once they are used up there will be no more like coal, metal-ores, petroleum and natural-gas.
  • Genetic-materials: These are materials with a life-cycle and can be produced by nature or human-action like farming, forestry and fishing activities. Additionally, Bio-related technology can be used to produce materials like; meat, wood, cotton, wool and leather
  • Gases: These are materials that are easily dispersible and expandable to fill up any space. They have to physical-shape but can occupy space and even have volume.
  • Liquids: These are visible but fluid materials that won’t hold their shape/size and can’t be easily compressed. Common fluids include; water and fuel used in transportation of vehicles.
  • Solid-materials: These materials hold their shape or size and even have an internal-structure that causes them to become rigid. They can also support loads without losing their shape and they are often referred to as engineering products.

Note: Material also feature different properties which include; physical, mechanical, chemical, thermal, electrical, magnetic, acoustical and optical properties.

 

  1. Information: This is data that has been sorted and categorized for human-use. In fact, data-processing is a computer based action that involves collecting, categorizing and presenting data/information so that humans can interpret it. Additionally, information learned and applied by people is referred to as Knowledge and this helps people to determine which course of action to take. on the other hand, information is categorized into 3 groups which include;
  • Scientific-information: This is organized data about the laws and natural phenomena in the universe. In fact, scientific-information helps to describe the natural world and people living in it. For example; geographical-information and anatomy-information.
  • Technological-information: This is organized data about the design, production, operation and maintenance and servicing of human-made products. This information generally explains the human-made world like buildings, medicine, automobile and a lot more.
  • Humanities-information: This organized data about the values and actions of individuals and society. This information describes how people interact with the society and the values held by individuals and groups of people.

 

  1. Energy: This is the ability to do work and that fact is that energy powers factories, lights-up homes, propels automobile and even drives our communication-systems. Human existence is based on converting one form of energy into another in order to get things done efficiently and effectively. Additionally, there are several types of energy and these include;
  • Chemical-energy: This is energy stored in substance and then released by chemical-reactions.
  • Electrical-energy: This is energy created by moving electrons. For example, all types of electricity fall under this type of energy.
  • Thermal-Energy: This is energy created by increased molecular-action caused by heat. For example, water-heaters use this type of energy.
  • Radiant-energy: This is energy produced by the sun, fire and other matter which includes light, radio-waves, x-rays, infrared-waves and ultraviolet-waves.
  • Mechanical-energy: This is energy produced by moving liquids, animals, people and machines. Example; hydraulic-systems used in cars, farming-activities that include use of animals or people, etc.
  • Acoustical-energy: This is energy associated with audible sound. In fact, sound-frequencies can produce enough energy to accomplish some serious tasks.
  • Nuclear-energy: This is energy produced by splitting atoms and uniting atomic matter.

Note: Energy is also available from 3 major sources which include the sun which is the fundamental-source of energy, Human and animal muscle power/energy and exhaustible sources of energy like natural-gas and oil.

 

  1. Finances: This is money and credit necessary for an economic system. In fact, technological-systems require people, materials, energy, tools and information but all these resources have a value and must be purchased. On the other hand, even outputs of technological-systems have value and can be sold in order to raise money or finances. Additionally, money for developing and operating technological systems can be obtained in 2-ways which include; selling products from the technological-system or selling the company to people through a partnership. However, money can also be borrowed from other sources like banks, investment-groups and insurance-companies in order to support the company activities and this is referred to as debt-financing.

 

  1. Time: All technological-activities take time and that’s why time is allocated to various tasks that need to be accomplished within a specific period. In fact, humans have always been aware of time but technology has actually accelerated the use of time with the use of advanced computers in different production activities. All in all, time is becoming a more valuable resource for technological systems.

Vanilla Farmer, Amazon Retailer & Tech Researcher. Yosaki is my personal blog but I'm working on some big tech project back doors. I will keep on posting various topics on things I have knowledge about.

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