The history of a technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The history of a technology - Research Paper Example To put in more bluntly, Cooper’s history of air conditioning refers to the human history of managing or controlling the atmosphere in relation to man’s needs. The history of air conditioning as the history of air becomes apparent in the debate on whether or not windows should be close in exchange for mechanical system; this debate largely transpired in the 1970s. As if following Cooper’s idea of air conditioning, Arora (2009) traces its history from Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th-century ventilating fan. This ventilating fan lessens the experience of heat generated by the natural weather. In the 17th and 19th centuries, Boyle and Dalton were able to find the scientific laws involving heat or gasses. Arora (2009) notes that it was Robert Buchanan in the 1815 who first wrote into text pertaining to the theories of heating and ventilating. On the other hand, Whitman, Johnson, and Tomczyk (2005) define the notion of air conditioning not only as an air filtration and ventilation but also as a â€Å"space cooling, heating, humidification, [and] dehumidification.† Following this definition, they state that the first â€Å"air conditioning† (i.e., storing natural ice) occurred in 1000 B.C. ... It is interesting that Whitman et al. (2005) put the time line, in a visual representation, of the history of air conditioning from the 1800s (p. xxvi). Here, they appear to view the concept of air conditioning in its present understanding. Of Scientific Theories There are several scientific theories and/or laws that predate the theory characterized in the modern-day air conditioning. So-called Charles’s Law and the Law of Partial Pressures are Dalton’s contributions to the understanding of temperature, pressure, and gasses. The former refers to the proportional expansion of gases given an equal increase of temperature at constant pressure; the latter points to the independent exertion of gasses, as if they are the â€Å"only gas[es] present,† upon their mixture â€Å"in a closed vessel† (Weber, 2000). Charles’s Law helps comprehend the phenomenon occurring within and outside the present-day air conditioner when temperature increases or decreases. M oreover, The Law of Partial Pressures provides a greater depth in understanding the gases that come in and go out from the air conditioning machine. However, the theory of present-day notion of air conditioning is traced highly to Michael Faraday’s 19th-century equation concerning gases and constant pressure. According to Freudenberger (2006), today’s scientists are able to figure out the quantitative measurement of the absolute zero: -273.15 degrees Celsius. In this theoretical state, cold is very much evident while heat is utterly absent. In Thermodynamics, heat is a form of energy. Since the theory of cold signifies the absence of heat, then the law of heat is quite essential in fully comprehending the nature of cold or cooling. In explaining the processes involved in