ASSIGNMENT

Course Code: FST-1

Assignment Code: FST - 1/TMA/2014

M ax. Marks: 100

Q1. Identify the correct words from the brackets:

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a) (Insulin/Penicillin) is a synthetically prepared anti-diabetic drug.

Ans. Insulin is a synthetically prepared anti-diabetic drug.

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b) Two atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the year

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(1945/1955).

Ans. Two atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the year

1945.
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Q2. Write the terms for the following:
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a) The branch of science that deals with the study of relationships

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between organisms and their environment.

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Ans. Ecology

b) Satellite Instruction Television Experiment

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Ans. SITE
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Q3. Match the items of Column-1 with those of Column-2.

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Column-1 Column-2

a) Mechanics i) Green plants

b) Circulation of blood ii) Lasers

c) Air purification iii) Greek civilisation

d) Long distance communication iv) William Harvey

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Ans.

Column-1 Column-2

a) Mechanics i) Lasers

b) Circulation of blood ii) William Harvey

c) Air purification iii) Green plants

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d) Long distance communication iv) Greek Civilisation

Q4. Which one of the following statements is true and which is false?

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Write the reason for the statement being true or false.

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a) Mars has several features that are similar to Earth.

Ans. True

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Features that are similar to earth: Its 24-hour day, changing seasons, ice
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caps on its poles; white clouds and dust storms in its atmosphere.
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b) Nuclear wastes are biodegradable.

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Ans. False
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Since nuclear wastes are persistent pollutant. Therefore, these are non-

biodegradable.
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Q5. Explain the tradition and social functions of science.

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Ans. Tradition of Science

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One aspect of scientific endeavour makes it different from all other aspects of

social achievement. This is that scientific endeavour, at any point of time,

depends on the existence of previous knowledge. Without the stock of previous

knowledge, the methods of the scientist would not be able to achieve much.

Further, to be called scientists, scientific workers have to add to previous

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knowledge. Scientists constantly strive to change the accepted truth. In this

sense, they uniquely differ from other professionals such as lawyers, priests

and administrators who mainly interpret and use previous knowledge.

Science is cumulative, that is, science at any time is the total result of all that

science has been up to that date. Further, an individual scientist's

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contribution, howsoever great, is absorbed into the body of scientific

knowledge. The individual character of a scientist's work is lost in the general

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history of science and knowledge. In art and music, the works of past masters

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are always appreciated and sought after. In science, it is only the current state

of knowledge which is of the utmost importance as the past is fused into the

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present. For instance, we still listen to and appreciate the music of great
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maestros like Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan or Ustad Fayyaz Khan. Prints and
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reproductions of Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting, 'Mona Lisa', are bought

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by art lovers all over the world. The works of Shakespeare and Kalidasa are
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read even today. But, not many people feel the need to read Newton's Principia

Mathematica or Einstein's famous papers in original. What is important, in

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science, is the form in which those ideas are used today.

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Art and religion appeal to personal faith and sentiment. In contrast, scientific
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activity always strives to reduce the personal or subjective component and

build as objective a basis as possible. Results of science can always be

checked, verified and repeated by anybody anywhere. This gives science a

"universal" character.

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The truth of science lies in its application. The final test of validity lies in

testing scientific knowledge in real life, in controlling nature towards some

chosen ends.

Social Function of Science

The events of the past few years have led to a critical examination of the

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function of science in society. It used to be believed that the results of scientific

investigation would lead to continuous progressive improvements in conditions

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of life; but first the War and then the economic crisis have shown that science

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can be used very easily for destructive and wasteful purposes and voices have

been raised demanding the cessation of scientific research as the only means of

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preserving a tolerable civilisation.
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The growth of science not only increases production but also leads to an
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improvement in the methods of production. And when methods of production

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evolve and develop to a new stage, societies transform. For example, when
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agriculture was the prime means of production, human habitations were

scattered over large rural areas with their own lifestyles.

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But, when factory-based production became common, industrial towns grew

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up, because a large number of people were working in one place, with a life
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very different from the rural life.

In this process of change, societies may even break up. Social classes come

into conflict in this process and create new social organisations. In Europe, at

a certain stage of development, the big landlords who jealously guarded their

territories, and the merchants and tradesmen who wanted free passage

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through such territories, as also common laws for large geographical areas,

came into conflict. A few centuries ago, science and industry developed

together so that the growth of science and the improvement in the methods of

production were intimately related. In the present stage, science has grown to

such a point that it leads to the development of industry.

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Q6. Describe any five technical devices that were invented or improved

upon in Medieval India.

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Ans. Technical devices that were invented or improved upon in Medieval India

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are as follows:

Belt-drive: It is a comparatively simpler device than gearing for transmission of

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power and for increasing or decreasing the speed of motion. Belt-drive came to
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India in the form of the spinning wheel, which has resulted in reducing the
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prices of yarn and, thus of cloth.

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Paper manufacture: Paper was not used in India until the eleventh century.
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This first century AD invention of Chinese reached India mainly through the

Ghorian conquerors. Once introduced, its manufacture spread rapidly and by

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the middle of the fourteenth century, paper became very cheap, which was not
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only used in writing but also for wrapping purposes by the sweetmeat sellers.
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Weaving

Evidence of an improvement in weaving comes from a fifteenth century

dictionary which describes the foot-pedals used by a weaver to control speed.

The addition of treadles to the loom facilitated the use of feet by the weaver for

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lifting alternately the heddles and freed his hands to throw the shuttle to and

fro. This could more than double the rate of weaving.

Distillation

The know-how of liquor distillation also came to India during the thirteenth

century. Though it has been argued by the famous Indian chemist P.C. Ray

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(1861-1944 A.D.) and recently by the Allchins and Needham on the basis of

archaeological evidence, that liquor distillation was known in ancient India, the

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stills seem to have been small and inefficient. With the thirteenth century came

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various types of stills (for liquor as well as for rose-water) and there is little

doubt that the manufacture of distilled spirits received great impetus.

Metal Screw
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One important device that had a great potential in the manufacture of
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precision instruments and machinery was the metal screw. It came into use in
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Europe from the middle of the fifteenth century for holding metal pieces
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together. Its use was of great importance in mechanical clocks. The screw

began to be used in India by the second half of the seventeenth century and
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even then it was a less efficient version of the European screw. The grooves
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were not cut, but wires were soldered around the nail to create the semblance
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of grooves. This had to be done owing to the absence of lathes which were used

in Europe for cutting grooves. Due to this limitation, the Indian screw did not

fit properly.

Q7. Citing suitable examples describe the operations involved in the

‘method of science’.

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Ans. The scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating

phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous

knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on

empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning.

The science is an endeavour to understand nature and to satisfy human needs.

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In this process, we have collected a lot of information and distinct body of

scientific knowledge has grown. Familiar with the terms observation,

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hypothesis, experiment, theories and laws. These are the various mental and

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physical operations that make up the method of science.

DNA example

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The basic elements of the scientific method are illustrated by the following
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example from the discovery of the structure of DNA:
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Question: Previous investigation of DNA had determined its chemical

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composition (the four nucleotides), the structure of each individual nucleotide,

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and other properties. It had been identified as the carrier of genetic information

by the Avery–MacLeod–McCarty experiment in 1944, but the mechanism of

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how genetic information was stored in DNA was unclear.

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Hypothesis: Francis Crick and James D. Watson hypothesized that DNA had a
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helical structure.

Prediction: If DNA had a helical structure, its X-ray diffraction pattern would be

X-shaped. This prediction was determined using the mathematics of the helix

transform, which had been derived by Cochran, Crick and Vand (and

independently by Stokes).

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Experiment: Rosalind Franklin crystallized pure DNA and performed X-ray

diffraction to produce photo 51. The results showed an X-shape.

Analysis: When Watson saw the detailed diffraction pattern, he immediately

recognized it as a helix. He and Crick then produced their model, using this

information along with the previously known information about DNA’s

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composition and about molecular interactions such as hydrogen bonds.

Q8. Detail the techniques and instruments that have helped us in

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gathering information about the Universe.

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Ans. Following are some techniques and instruments that have helped us in

gathering information about the Universe:

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In Pursuit of Starlight
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The easiest method of studying light from a cosmic object is to collect it
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through a telescope and record it on a photographic plate. Photographic films

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are exposed for long periods of time-sometimes night after night-to the light
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being collected by a telescope aimed at distant stars. Since the Earth rotates on

its axis, the stars appear to move in the sky. The telescope is rotated following
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the daily movement of the stars at which it is aimed. Thus, its movement is
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synchronised with the movement of the stars being studied, stars, far too faint
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for human eyes, slowly begin to register on the plate. This method of collecting

and investigating light from the cosmos is called optical astronomy.

Over the centuries, astronomers have refined the telescope from the first crude

lenses of Galilee's day to giant 'telescopes in use today. Three simple pieces of

glass, the lens, the mirror and the prism over the period of a few hundred years

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have turned into sophisticated and powerful tools in human hands. Shouldn't

we marvel at the ingenuity of the human mind'?

As of today, a huge optical telescope called the Hubble space telescope, after

Edwin Hubble, is in orbit around the earth. Several large telescopes are

stationed in the USA, Hawaii, Australia, Chile, Russia, U.K. etc. In India the

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major optical observatories are at Nainital, Gurushikar (Near Mount Abu),

Udaipur, Japal Rangapur (near Hyderabad), Kavalur and Kodai Kanal. Many

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smaller telescopes scan the skies every night, adding to our knowledge of the

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cosmos.

There are many other ways of learning about the heavens than by just studying

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the light coming from them. One of them is radio astronomy. Nowadays,
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scientists use very sensitive radio telescopes to tune in on the cosmic objects
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and study them.

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Tuning in on the Stars

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Radio telescopes may be tuned to receive radiowaves of the desired wavelength

in the same way as we tune a radio to receive only the station we want. Radio
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telescopes not only give a 'view' of the invisible universe, but can also probe
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much deeper into space when compared with optical telescopes. Radiowaves
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can propagate through dust clouds in space, just as radio signals on the Earth

can penetrate cloudy or foggy weather. Thus, they enable radio astronomers to

construct images of regions completely hidden from the view of optical

telescopes. However, radio telescopes normally receive radiation within a

narrow band of wavelengths.

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Radio telescopes have led to the discovery of hundreds of cosmic objects that

emit radiowaves. Most of these could be identified with the objects seen by

optical telescopes. With the help of radio telescopes objects like pulsars were

discovered. Pulsars are stars that send out pulses of light and radiowaves in

regular bursts. For example, a pulsar in the centre of the Crab nebula at a

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distance of 6000 light years from the Earth sends out bursts of light and

radiowaves 30 times a second.

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Certain radio sources like 3c273, etected by radio telecopes and later examined

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by optical telescopes, were named quasars. Quasar, an abbreviation of 'quasi-

stellar radio source', is a star-like object situated billions of light years away.

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Not all quasars are radio sources. Since the electromagnetic waves from
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quasars are being detected on the Earth, they must be sending out huge
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amounts of energy. Quasars are comparatively small in size, only about a light
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month across. That is, if you imagined the Milky Way Galaxy to be a football
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field, a quasar would appear like a grain of sand. But it emits 100 times more

energy than the entire Milky Way Galaxy.

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Scientists have also found that many elliptical galaxies that seemed
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unimportant when seen through optical telescopes, were powerful sources of

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radiowaves. These galaxies were named radio galaxies. Often, the centre of a

galaxy is a powerful source of radiowaves. Violent movements of huge

quantities of matter and gas take place in the central part of the galaxies,

emitting radiowaves in the process. Radio telescopes also showed that organic

molecules exist in interstellar space.

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Q9. What goals need to be set for the management of water resources?

How water can be managed in a scientific manner?

Ans. Management of water resources means a programme to provide an

adequate supply of good quality of water for various uses without endangering

the life of the source or the reserve of water. In other words, efforts should be

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made to see that: (i) water of the right quality is available for all kind of Uses

and (ii) there is no misuse or wastage of this precious resource.

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Water management includes recharging the reserves of groundwater and

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diverting supply from an area of surplus to the region of scarcity. Recharging of

groundwater is the most important aspect of the water management. In the

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mountains and hills, the watersheds are covered with vegetation. The litter-
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covered soil of the watershed allows infiltration of rain water, which finds its
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way to the aquifers.

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In urban and rural areas, storm water, used water or domestic drains can be
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fed into pits, trenches, or any depression, where it can filter underground.

Flood water can be injected into aquifers through a series of deep pits or it can
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be spread on the fields through a network of ditches.

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The excess flow of normal as well as flood water can be diverted to areas where
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there is scarcity of water. This will not only remove the danger of damage

caused by floods but will also benefit the regions of scarcity.

By proper treatment of the domestic and municipal waste water, one can

obtain a supply fit for many industrial and agricultural purposes. The

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treatment of waste water involves removal of pollutants, germs, and toxic

elements.

Desalination of sea water

By use of solar energy, sea water can be distilled, thus fresh water of good

quality can be obtained. This method of desalination of sea water is being used

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in our country at places like Bhavanagar in Gujarat and Chum in Rajasthan.

Reducing over consumption

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Using more water than necessary is an unpardonable waste of the precious

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and scarce resource. In our country, a lot of water is wasted due to leaking

taps and bad plumbing. There is also need for a check on excessive irrigation.

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Thus, there are ways in which we can better manage our limited resources.
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Q10. “There is a mismatch between man’s ability to produce and social
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incapacity to utilize”. Explain the meaning of this statement.

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Ans. We now have the scientific and technological know-how to produce what
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our country needs. But lot of our people are poor, as they do not have gainful

employment. Thus, food is not available to them at the prices they can afford.
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Unless our scientific and technological skill is suitably backed by a political

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and administrative will to implement the right kind of rural and urban
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development programmes, poverty and malnutrition will continue to threaten

us.

About 55.5 million people (22.7%) in our country are agricultural labourers

who have neither land to cultivate nor farm animals to keep. They are willing to

work hard, and expect to be paid by the evening, since they lead a hand to

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mouth existence. A vigorous employment-generation drive alone can improve

their lot. For a number of historical reasons, however, employment generation

is equated in our country with distributing doles, and a job-seeker is treated as

if he is a burden to the society when he is actually offering his services,

however modest, for his own benefit and the benefit of the country, At every

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level from the policy-maker to the village-level worker, there is a need for an

overhaul of our social structure and outlook. Creation of job opportunities

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should be treated as a priority item of national service. Employment can be

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generated through (i) developmental programmes of the Government and (ii)

group action backed by bank finance and village cooperatives. Marketing,

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storage, transport, distribution, processing and customer service are beyond
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the capacity of individual villagers. These can only be ensured by village
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cooperatives, which, in turn, should be connected to the national marketing

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grid.
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The Government can take up massive programmes dealing with irrigation,

supply by drinking water and construction of permanent roads and well-

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planned houses in the countryside. These permanent national assets will

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generate the much-needed employment and provide purchasing power to

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villagers.

With the help of banks and insurance agencies, village cooperatives should pay

special attention to problems of national importance that can be solved only

through coordinated group action.

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The twin problems of rapidly decreasing forest resources and extensive soil

erosion can be effectively checked by large-scale plantations on our cultivable

wastelands and along roadside in villages. This is of utmost importance, since

we are presently cutting off ten trees for every one tree planted. Our duty is not

over by just planting trees, but we should take care of them till they reach a

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stage, when they can grow on their own.

Composite fish culture and the cultivation of high value vegetable and fruits

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are highly remunerative professions. But our farmers are wary of bulk

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production because they think that it would lead to a glut in village markets

and result in lowering the prices. A national chain of village cooperatives that

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attend to marketing, storage and distribution, network will benefit both the
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producer and the consumer.
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The precariously low amounts of protein and fat in our diet is a matter of great
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concern. A well-organised marketing and processing network has a tremendous

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potential to increase the cultivation of the protein-rich soybean which will

prove a boon to our malnourished people.

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Likewise, an all-out 'effort is needed to devote more attention to oilseed crops,

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including oilpalm. We are now importing a lot of edible oil. In rich nations,
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excessive intake of fat is discouraged as it would aggravate the problem of

heart diseases. But in our country, inclusion of more fat in the diet, barring

that of a few affluent people, is not only desirable, but is necessary because

fats are not only a concentrated source of food calories but act as important

vehicle for some vitamins.

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The low per head availability of cloth is another alarming trend. Even in our

best cotton tracts, the average yield of cotton is only about 370 kg per hectare

compared with 700 kg per hectare in Egypt, where cotton cultivation is

managed co-operatively without infringing on the rights of individual owners.

In the management of pests of cotton, rice, groundnut, sugarcane and

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plantation crops, as well as the control of the contagious diseases of cattle,

individual attention is futile and a community action of the entire village or

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block only, will prove effective. Efficiently run cooperatives with adequate

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facilities for health care of plants and animals is the immediate need of our

villages. Conservation of runoff water in ponds, proper utilisation of

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groundwater resources, finding uses of agricultural wastes, use of solar, and
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wind energies and installation of bio-gas plants are areas in which village
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cooperatives can play an exemplary role, create an abundance of employment

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opportunities, and usher in an "antyodaya" of Mahatma Gandhi's dreams.

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It would be a paradox if we produce enough food to eat but the majority of our

people have not enough money to buy it with.

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Q11. Elucidate any five contributions made by the ‘human factor

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specialists’.
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Ans. The definition of a professional charged with overseeing this people-

oriented design philosophy varies. The term Human Factors Specialist has

been selected by the panel from a large number of possible terms to name this

profession. Recently, Licht, Polzella, and Boff (1989) reviewed 74 definitions of

this specialty from 400 references. Terms such as anthropometrics, applied

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ergonomics, applied experimental psychology, biomechanics, biotechnology,

engineering psychology, ergonomics, human engineering, human factors,

human factors engineering, human factors psychology, human performance

engineering, industrial ergonomics, and psychotechnology were used. The three

most prevalent terms included human factors, human factors engineering, and

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ergonomics. Although these terms are often interchangeable, in the United

States human factors tends to be the broadest category; human factors

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engineering tends to emphasize design; and ergonomics tends to be concerned

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with people at work.

The study of the efficiency of a person in his working environment is called

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human factor engineering or ergonomics. The people who are trained in this
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branch of applied psychology are known as human factor specialists.
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During World War 11,457 US Air Force accidents took place in a 22 month
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period. An analysis of these accidents showed that pilots confused between two
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control levers, one related to landing and the other to wings. Often they didn't

even know if they had enough petrol to complete their missions. Soon it was
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realised that selection and training alone would got produce efficient pilots. The
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equipment itself needed to be redesigned.

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For the first time, design engineers started working in collaboration with

psychologists to try and ensure that the machine systems will suit human

requirements and abilities. The shapes of the controls for landing gear and

wings were so designed, that the difference between them was obvious and

chances of mistakes were eliminated. Similarly, the markings on the fuel gauge

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were changed to indicate fuel quantity as FULL; HALF FULL; EMPTY instead of

in actual gallons. You must have noticed this in present day buses and motor

cars etc. Thus, the essential job of human factor specialists is to see that

machine systems are designed with the user in mind, so that they can be run

with maximum efficiency and minimum error. For this purpose, they study the

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effects of work environment such as ventilation, noise and illumination. This

leads to improvement in the design of the work place, to make it more

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comfortable, safe, and conducive to performance. The duration of the shifts is

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also studied in relation to production, to see how long a person can work with

full concentration. The speed of the workers' reflexes and motor movements

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has also to be taken into consideration.
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The result of human factor engineering may not always be obvious, especially if
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the effect is of convenience rather than safety. The telephone instrument is one
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machine that can be easily operated by men, women and children alike. So
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every change in design is preceded by elaborate tests and calculations.

Q12. Discuss with the help of examples as to how the research

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programmes not only benefit the industry but also give rise to new
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industries.
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Ans. Research programmes not only benefit the industry but also give rise to

new industries. In fact, the example of Japan can, to a great extent, be a model

for us. In the beginning of this century Japan was a comparatively less

developed country. They tried to modernize themselves by importing technology

but then they improved the imported technology by:

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  creating R & D facilities for adaptation and further improvement of the

imported technology,

 creating and sustaining the improvement of technological efforts through

their own scientific manpower originally trained abroad, and

 creating a base of scientific human resource to improve their educational

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system and training facilities.

In 1946, the late Sir Winston Churchill, in a very well publicised speech,

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stated, "The rise of the Soviet Union as a super power has been mainly due, not

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so much to their political system which might have helped hut to the creation

of the right type of institutions for manpower training. "Japan has again

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provided an example of how, from a comparatively undeveloped technological
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base, they could rise to be one of the most modern technological nations,
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offering technology not only to the developing and undeveloped countries, but
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even to the developed countries like U.S.A. and U.K.

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Therefore, for international competitiveness, and even for survival, there is-

need for modernisation through our own research and development efforts and
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with the help of our own research organisations. One can think of close
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cooperative effort between government research laboratories, like those under

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the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and the research laboratories

of universities and higher technological institutions.

Our government has realised the importance of indigenous research to promote

profitability and international competitiveness. A number of policy measures

were taken to provide incentives to induce industries to set up in-house R & D

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units. They are given certain facilities for import of raw materials, equipment

etc., besides some financial incentives.

There have also been a number of cooperative research associations in our

country. The first such institute was set up in 1950 in Ahmedabad for the

textile industry. There are many cooperative research associations now in fields

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like jute, rubber, tea, wool, cashewnut etc.

Since small industrial units are not able to finance a complete R & D set-up on

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their own, such cooperative efforts are the best way out.

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A developing country like ours aims to reduce its technological dependence on

other countries. We shall be able to achieve this by increasing our R & D

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efforts. Products and processes developed in our own country will be based on
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local raw materials and will take into consideration other local factors such as
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weather. In the process, we will also have the requisite manpower for
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maintenance as well as further improvement of technology. We should match

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our R & D efforts with the objectives and policies of our country. Apart from the

government laboratories, private industry should take more and more active
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part in research activities. The commercial application of scientific discoveries

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can be carried out more easily if there is a direct link between the laboratory
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and industry. In other words, it would be better if industrial units have an R &

D set up within themselves.

Q13. Why is it important to pursue the policy of self-reliance for the

progress of science and technology and for the development of the

nation?

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 Ans.

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N
O
U
SO
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80 N
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