However, when we raise our heads and look at the wide horizon, we can realize that we are one of the most successful living beings in the evolutionary field, and it is no secret that our population is scattered throughout the planet Earth representing billions, colonizing all continents, demonstrating that we have been a species capable of implementing each of the potentialities of our environment, and even more, capable of modifying them with the firm purpose of adjusting them to the needs and strategic purposes of providing us with greater welfare.
It is important to take into account the approach of each of these fields, which one allows us to know in detail the nature (science), and the other implements such knowledge for practical purposes, which is why we can say that technology is applied science, noting that both play different roles, but the two fields are linked both inside and outside the laboratory, to provide us with adaptive tools to the environment where we are immersed.
Functions of science and technology in the generation of practical knowledge
These two important tools have their particular functions in our hands, in this opportunity we will relate in a general way with some of them, since we are used to talk about science and technology, looking at the final products that generate welfare, and it is important that our students can learn more about the initial functions of these tools.
We can begin by expressing that science allows us to know, while technology allows us to modify, through science we relate to the different natural phenomena, beyond, that this knowledge is put into practice or not, as for technology we can say that it represents a process of improvement based on knowledge obtained from nature, in short, technology usually provides knowledge about itself, of course, technology has developed very useful tools for the study of the environment, but the function of interpretation is in the hands of science.
Technological development processes usually meet specific needs, and this makes us verify whether or not the process ends up fulfilling the purpose, for example, the generation of special materials that provide less weight to artificial satellites, this can be verified if it works or not, as for science we can say that there are ambiguities, many scientific projects are developed, and there are still questions to be answered, enigmas that persist through time, it is up to science to try to interpret the complex language of our universe, generally providing provisional and not definitive explanations, but with the tireless desire to continue with the interpretation of this language.
Science goes beyond the efficient use of resources, which is why on many occasions we witness explanations of phenomena that clash with already established theories, generating intense debates to establish which of the theories are more consistent and which is wrong, on the other hand, we can say that technology focuses on seeking efficiency in the use of resources, so that everything that is not practical tends to displace it.
Technology is based on designs supported in the world of engineering, while science is based on theories and theoretical models, so we can say that they are not designs of parts, but a relationship of ideas, and that, in addition, they do not necessarily have to be expressed in mathematical language.
Conclusion
At this stage of our development, it is no secret that science and technology go hand in hand or intertwine in many professional areas, each contributing from their perspective, from their interpretative approach, science provides the essential material called knowledge and technology makes it practical, and places it in our hands, in different models and designs, which in many cases we only keep that knowledge about this dynamic nexus, science-technology.
There is a long way to go for these two important aspects responsible for our vertiginous development, in all senses, so we should always be interested in knowing a little more about their functions, and how they manage to intertwine to achieve the different technological applications that we use in each of our daily activities, that is, adapted to our needs and strategic purposes.
Recommended bibliographic reference
[1] The relationship between science and technology.Link.