Analyzing Links
At a nopal farm in Milpa Alta, a biodigester is installed: the pruning waste is turned into gas for cooking and into fertilizer for the cornfields. Is it just a device? Or does it also change the science they use, the family's life, the money they spend, and the surrounding environment? By the end of this page you will answer: what is a technical system linked to?
A technical system is not alone
A technical system is the set of tools, materials, energy, knowledge, and people organized to produce something. A comal, a tortilla shop, or a biodigester are technical systems.
No technical system lives in isolation: it is linked (connected and mutually influenced) to five things named in the Technology curriculum:
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Science: the knowledge that makes it work or that arises from using it.
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Society: the people, the work, health, the organization of the community.
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Culture: the knowledge, customs, and traditions of a people. You can see it as part of society, but it is worth naming separately.
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Economy: costs, income, jobs, savings.
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Nature: materials that are taken, energy that is used, waste that is generated.
How to identify a link with each dimension
For each dimension, ask yourself a guiding question:
| Dimension | Guiding question |
|---|---|
| Science | What knowledge (physics, chemistry, biology) explains why it works? |
| Society | Who uses it, who does it benefit or affect, how does it change work and daily life? |
| Culture | What knowledge, customs, or traditions are involved or transformed? |
| Economy | How much does it cost, how much does it save or generate, who gains or loses jobs? |
| Nature | What resources does it take, what waste or pollution does it produce, what does it protect? |
A nopal cactus farm in Milpa Alta installs a biodigester: with the pruning waste it produces biogas for cooking and biofertilizer for the cornfields. Identify one link…
A nopal cactus farm in Milpa Alta installs a biodigester: with the pruning waste it produces biogas for cooking and biofertilizer for the cornfields. Identify one link of this system with each dimension (science, society, the economy and nature) and explain it in one sentence.
Traditional knowledge and science: a two-way street
Long before laboratories existed, communities already knew useful things: at what temperature clay is fired, which fibers are strong, when to plant. These are traditional knowledge: it is learned by doing and passed down from generation to generation.
Science studies and explains that knowledge with measurements. And in turn, science proposes improvements that communities can adopt. That is feedback: each side gives something to the other.
The know-how of pottery communities about clay and fire made clay pots possible; today materials science designs ceramics for stoves and water filters. Explain how…
The know-how of pottery communities about clay and fire made clay pots possible; today materials science designs ceramics for stoves and water filters. Explain how traditional know-how and science feed back into each other in this example.
One technical change moves all the dimensions
When a community changes the way it produces, the effects do not stay in a single dimension. That is why it is useful to make a table of positive and negative effects in each one and then draw a balance.
Notice: there is no single correct answer. What matters is that your conclusion uses the effects in the table and is consistent with them. A good technical solution is not the same everywhere: the social, economic, cultural, and natural factors of the place determine what is suitable. Designing well means responding to the context.
In one region, factory-made shoes began to displace artisanal huaraches: they cost less, but the family workshops closed and know-how was lost. Analyze the effects of…
In one region, factory-made shoes began to displace artisanal huaraches: they cost less, but the family workshops closed and know-how was lost. Analyze the effects of this change on the four dimensions (science, society, the economy and nature) and argue whether the balance is positive or negative for the community.