Name: ________________________________
Productivity improving
technologies
1. What is productivity?
2. Increases
in productivity are largely responsible for the increase in per capita living
standards. How is productivity increased?
3. True or False. Technological progress was hindered by literacy
and the diffusion of knowledge that accelerated after the spinning wheel spread
to Western Europe in the 13th century.
4. True or False. Mining and metal refining technologies played a
key role in technological progress.
5.
At what percentage
efficiency are horses able to convert feed to work?
6. Dynamite was patented in 1867 by Alfred Nobel. For which types of projects did it increase the efficiency?
7. One of the greatest periods of productivity growth coincided with the electrification of factories which took place between _________ and __________ in the U.S.
8. What was the percentage efficiency for the Newcomen steam engine?
9. What was the percentage efficiency for todayÓs steam turbines?
10.
Reducing ________________ was one of the major reasons for
the success of railroads compared to wagons.
11. List the five different types of infrastructure from most efficient to least efficient. (The five types are: Ocean shipping, pipelines, air, roads, railway)
12. List three examples of mechanized agriculture.
13. In the 1830s several technologies came together to allow an
important shift in wooden building construction. The circular (1777),
cut nail machines (1794), and steam engine allowed slender pieces of
lumber such as 2"x4"s to be efficiently produced and then nailed
together in what became known as balloon
framing (1832).
This was the beginning of the decline of the ancient method of _____________
_____________ construction with
wooden joinery.
14. What do machine tools do?
18. Define Automation.
19. What are Common applications of
automation?
20. True or False. As a result of
productivity the work week increased considerably over
the 19th century.