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FRS 114 Spring 2024
Glass in the History of Science
Assignment description:
Glass has been a crucial material in various scientific advancements due to its unique properties, such as transparency, chemical inertness, and versatility, enabling discoveries and innovations. In this assignment, you will identify one area of historical scientific advancement where the use of glass is instrumental.
- Describe the technology / discovery itself.
- Explain the significance and impact of the technology to our society.
- Highlight how glass was used and why it’s essential in this innovation.
- Explain what properties of glass made this application possible.
- Based on your understanding of the current view of materials science (you may consult your professors or AI), if there are alternative materials that can be used instead, name it / them. Compare and contrast the pros and cons of the substitution.
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02
03
Glass Electrodes
Radioactive nuclear waste vitrification (20th century)
Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) (20th century)
04
Vacuum Tubes (20th century)
05
Vaccination (18th century)
06
Telescope (17th century)
07
08
09
Spectroscopy (19th century) -- prisms and lenses
Geiger Counter (20th century)
Glass insulators
10
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12
X-ray Imaging (19th-20th centuries)
Discovery of Electrons (19th-20th centuries)
Chemistry and Laboratory Glassware (18th-19th centuries)