Chinese Discoveries and Inventions EQ: How have Medieval Chinese
Discoveries and Inventions influenced the Modern World? Sea Travel
Compass Early Chinese compasses were made of a rock called
lodestone, which, when floating, points north-south The Chinese
eventually replaced lodestone with steel needles The compass still
helps travelers navigate. What new technology is replacing
compasses? Global Positioning System (GPS) Improving Travel on
Rivers, Lakes, Canals, and Bridges
Canal lock The canal lock allowed boats to pass from one level to
another in a canal. The canal lock could raise boats 100 feet above
sea level Canal locks are still used on modern canals like the
Panama Canal and the Three Gorges Dam project in China Segmental
arch bridge Took less material to build, and it was stronger as
well Paddlewheel boats Arranging a series of paddles on a wheel
allowed much faster travel Paper The Chinese invented papermaking
by the 2nd century C.E.
For more than 500 years the Chinese were the only people in the
world who knew the art. Printing Woodblock printing
The printer carved out the wood around the characters, leaving the
characters raised on the wood Enabled Chinese to create paper money
and playing cards Movable type Movable type uses a separate block
for each character Until recently, all newspapers, books, and
magazines were printed using movable type What new invention(s) are
replacing books, paper, and typesetting? Computers, internet,
ebooks, email, etc Porcelain Porcelain is a form of pottery of
great beauty that some historians think was developed in the first
century C.E. Porcelain was mass-produced. What is another term for
porcelain? Fine dishes are still called china after the fine
porcelain made in China. Steel The Chinese first made steel before
200 B.C.E.
Steel is less brittle than iron and easier to bend into different
shapes In the 1800s, the mass production of steel was crucial to
the Industrial Revolution Gunpowder The discovery of gunpowder made
possible the development of powerful weapons Gunpowder may have
been discovered by accident by alchemists looking for a way to
extend life using saltpeter Chinese made flamethrowers. Chinese
used catapults to hurl exploding bombs. Gunpowder changed the way
wars were conducted around the world, especially Europe. Rocket
Rockets were first used in fireworks
The Chinese made a two-stage rocket, with the first stage carrying
the weapon over the enemy and the second stage dropping arrows. The
rockets we use to explore space are based on the same principles as
ancient Chinese rockets. Cards and Money Playing cards Invented in
China in the 9th century
Printers used woodblock printing to make the cards from thick paper
Paper money Paper money replace coins. Paper money was printed with
wood blocks using many colors on each bill Paper money is the most
common form of currency today. Do you believe paper currency will
exist 100 years in the future? Mechanical Clock The mechanical
clock had a wheel that made one revolution every 24 hours. Dripping
water turned the wheel. Every quarter hour drums would beat, and
every hour a bell would chime so people knew what time it was.
Modern mechanical clocks are based on the same principles as early
Chinese clocks. Disease Prevention Disinfectant
The Chinese burned a chemical that made a poisonous smoke that
would kill germs The Chinese would steam the clothes of sick
people. The steam would kill germs. Smallpox The Chinese developed
a way to inoculate people against smallpox. They made a powder from
the scab of an infected person and inserted it into the nose of the
person who wanted to improve his/her immune system. Chinese
knowledge about smallpox inoculation eventually led to the
development of drugs called vaccines. True or False? In general,
vaccination is considered to be the most effective method of
preventing infectious diseases. True
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