ENGLISH

Social Networks in the History of Innovation and Invention

By Francis C. Moon (auth.)

Book information

Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Year
2014
ISBN
978-94-007-7527-5, 978-94-007-7528-2
DOI
10.1007/978-94-007-7528-2
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
10 MB (10547715 bytes)
Series
History of Mechanism and Machine Science 22
Edition
1
Pages
196\206
Time added
2014-01-18 08:00:00
Machinery and Machine Elements; History of Science

Description

This book integrates history of science and technology with modern social network theory. Using examples from the history of machines, as well as case studies from wireless, radio and chaos theory, the author challenges the genius model of invention. Network analysis concepts are presented to demonstrate the societal nature of invention in areas such as steam power, internal combustion engines, early aviation, air conditioning and more. Using modern measures of network theory, the author demonstrates that the social networks of invention from the 19th and early 20th centuries have similar characteristics to modern 21st C networks such as the World Wide Web. The book provides evidence that exponential growth in technical innovation is linked to the growth of historical innovation networks.

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