Week 31 Summary Essay

             The inventions that I learned about this week were the electron microscope, the frequency modulation (FM) radio, nuclear fission, and the transistor. The inventors this week were Ernst Ruska, Edwin Armstong, Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann, John Bardeen, William Shockley, and finally, Walter Brattain. Now I am going to tell you how these people made these inventions.

             The first invention that I learned about this week was the electron microscope. It was invented in 1933 by Ernst Ruska. The electron microscope is a scientific instrument that uses a beam of electrons to examine objects on a very fine scale. This invention helped people to be able to observe viruses, and it is used in numerous industries today.

            The next lesson was about FM radio. It was invented by Edwin Armstrong in 1933. FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM) technology. At the time, all they had was AM radio. The FM radio was important because it sounded better, traveled faster, and used less power than the AM radio. This opened a whole new world of radio communication. People could now listen to music much more clearly, and FM radio created the opportunity for more talk radio shows. Both FM and AM radio are still widely used even though we have other ways to listen to music and podcasts today.

            The third invention that I learned about this week was nuclear fission. It was discovered in December of 1938 by the German nuclear chemist Otto Hahn and his assistant Fritz Strassmann in Berlin. Nuclear fission is a process used to create energy, and it itself is created by atoms splitting into smaller atoms. Atomic weapons advanced throughout the 1950s, and nuclear power supplies 20% of the power grid today.

            The next lesson was about the transistor. It was invented in 1947 by John Bardeen, William Shockley, and Walter Brattain. The transistor is an electrical component made of three parts: the gate, the drain, and the source. The gate and the drain work together by pushing positively charged electrons away from each other to make a way for negative electrons to flow through. This acts as a switch to start or stop the flow of electricity. The transistor is one of the most important parts of almost all modern electronics and is believed to be one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century.

             My favorite invention this week was the transistor. I like it because it is used in every electronic device today. I think it is amazing that some people invented this tiny thing that is used all the time. It makes me wonder how you can even make something that is about fifty atoms wide! How could you see one if you were trying to make a transistor today? People can invent the most creative things that we use every day.

Bonus Question Imagine the future: what do you think the world will look like 50 years from today? Write down today’s date: month, date, and year. Then, add 50 years to that. What do you think the next 50 years will bring about? Write about it. Make predictions. Consider the world and the state of technology in 1950, just after the transistor had been invented, but before it was put into commercial products. Then, think forward 50 years, to 2000, when the Internet was coming into its own. Was that a big difference? Do you think the next 50 years will change the world as much as the 50 years between 1950 and 2000 did? Explain why you think that — or why not.

              Today is Friday, Aug 11, 2023, and in 2073 (50 years) I don’t think the world will be the same. If the Apple Vision headset is already here, I can’t imagine what they will have in the future. Artificial intelligence and robots will probably do everything for people while people do nothing. The 50 years between 1950 and 2000 were changing a lot. Yes, I do think that the world will change as much between 2023 and 2073 as it did between 1950 and 2000. 1950 was right after the transistor was invented; however, it was not commercially successful yet. In 2000, the internet was just becoming popular in peoples’ houses. Today, the internet connects the entire world! Like I said before, I can’t imagine what’s the world will look like in 50 years.