group2mid20thTechnology

=Technology in the Time=

Overview
Like all technology, the technology used in the mid 20th century helped make work quicker and life as a whole easier. Devices powered by electricity perform many household tasks. Automobiles move people between towns. Airplanes can transport people across the world in under a day. Weapons have become much more destructive. Video cameras capture moments of life forever. Computers work with numbers at unimaginably quick speeds. Here are some pieces of technology of era:

Computer
This electrical device can take in vast amounts of numeric information, store it, and quickly perform arithmetic or other actions upon it. It is too large and expensive for individuals to purchase. They are many used by companies.

Television
This device receives invisible energy waves sent from far away and uses the information within them to create a moving images on its lighted screen.

Refrigerator
The the inside of this large box kept in the kitchen was cold. It could stay this way as long as it had a supply of electricity. It was designed for people to put their groceries in, thus allowing them to stay fresh longer.

Vacuum
This electric device created a suction that was used to clean the floors of any junk on them.

Automobile
These vehicles were used by people from place to place quickly. Gasoline, a product made from petroleum (oil), was combusted within their engines, moving pistons within the engine and eventually transferred to spinning the wheels. Automobiles could travel easily over 80 miles per hour, but laws instituted in many states forbade that.

Airplane
The airplane uses propulsion in a forward motion to have air flow over its two wings, one on either side, creating lift and therefore being able to fly. Two types of airplanes were around, one driven by a propeller and one by a jet engine.

Nuclear Weapon
This bomb capitalized on the massive quantity of energy within the forces of atoms, microscopic bits of matter. When detonated, these bombs could decimate entire cities by themselves. Radiation left in the area from the weapon could be hazardous to humans, making the land uninhabitable for years afterwards.

Video Camera
This machine would many strips of film in a roll. Each piece of film would capture a picture of the area. With these pictures taken very fast at regular intervals, the pictures would show movement in the area. This film could then be replayed at the speed of life, creating a realistic view of what was happening when the filming took place.

Teflon Pans
Teflon, an invented low-friction material, was placed on the inside of pans so that food wouldn't stick to it after cooking.