• Question: What is your favorite scientificly based invetion

    Asked by jamielintern to Charlie, Eoin, Jemma, Julian, Steve on 19 Mar 2011.
    • Photo: Eoin Lettice

      Eoin Lettice answered on 18 Mar 2011:

      I think its the internet! It’s all that information right at our fingertips. When I was growing up we had to get all that from books! I feel so old !! 🙂

      Eoin

    • Photo: Julian Rayner

      Julian Rayner answered on 18 Mar 2011:

      My money is on the computer. It has changed the world enormously in only a short space of time. Huge impact on science, on our ability to do complex calculations and modeling, on our ability to process large amounts of data. Also huge impact on society – how we interact with each other, how we learn about the world. Incredible invention.

    • Photo: Jemma Ransom

      Jemma Ransom answered on 18 Mar 2011:

      Probably the train. This was a massive step forward for humankind and brought together several new technologies including the steam engine, and the ability to lay tracks. It took several bright sparks to bring the technologies together to create a machine that we rely even today (although of course in a different form)

    • Photo: Stephen Moss

      Stephen Moss answered on 18 Mar 2011:

      Hi Jamie
      I think the iphone is extraordinary. I haven’t the faintest idea how it works, but it’s just an incredible piece of technology.

    • Photo: Charlie Ryan

      Charlie Ryan answered on 19 Mar 2011:

      hi jamie great question!
      The one i think has had the most impact is the transistor – the small electronic device that drives all electronic equipment. We wouldn’t have i’m a scientist if it wasn’t for the transistor.
      But it’s hard to love the transistor. It look so dull – a piece of small plastic with some wires coming out of it.
      No, my favourite invention has got to be the rocket – and more specifically the bipropellent rocket. Sorry an obvious anser! This is a type of rocket where two liquids, stored in seperate tanks, are burnt together and exit the rocket through the nozzle, and produce a lot of thrust. It’s the type of rocket used in the space shuttle’s main engines! So it has to be cool!

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