Infrared and Ultraviolet spectroscopy are dependant on technology for their existance, what are the knowldedge implications for this?

[Hens48]

Chemistry based TOK question.

Just started IB and already need some help, struggling to find information about the history of spectroscopy without sifting through pages and pages of writing.

We have to write it up in a newpaper format.

Cheers

[Guest Achmed-The Dead Terrorist]

Look, undeniably different forms of waves exist such as ones, do no harm and other do to our body. So that's the starting point. To know whether they exist or not.

However, to confirm this, take for example a reaction. How is it that only with visible light, you can decompose an element? (fission that is) the answer is, experimentally, it's not possible only with visible light. So, there had to be something, with much more energy that could lead to that reaction. the answer is ultraviolet and gamma radiations.

The same logic goes for infrared. The radiations have always existed, it was only a matter of time till man would realise it. But to use it, man needs to create a machine for it and before that, he needs to study it. Thus, after much study (which admittedly are mostly statistical even though there are many experimental ones), man can develop mmachines to correctly apply those radiations.

Later, if the machine is not properly built, it will give rather awkward results which contrast with the theory. Thus, humans will realise the flaws either in the machine (the most likely) or in the theory. Bear in mind that a theory to be applied, must be first reviewed and approved by the whole scientific community so it's not longer about individual works

I don't know if that's the answer you want but that's the TOK part of it, I guess...

[Daedalus]

Chemistry based TOK question.

Just started IB and already need some help, struggling to find information about the history of spectroscopy without sifting through pages and pages of writing.

We have to write it up in a newpaper format.

Cheers

I don't understand the question. At all.

[Guest Achmed-The Dead Terrorist]

Chemistry based TOK question.

Just started IB and already need some help, struggling to find information about the history of spectroscopy without sifting through pages and pages of writing.

We have to write it up in a newpaper format.

Cheers

I don't understand the question. At all.

I think he's asking whether we should trust the machines man builds or not because knowledge is relative and subjective. this might cause man to create machines which 'appear' to work but in reality, they're just showing what we want to see... that's his question I'm guessing and it's pertinent although not well-formed.

[Keel]

Chemistry based TOK question.

Just started IB and already need some help, struggling to find information about the history of spectroscopy without sifting through pages and pages of writing.

We have to write it up in a newpaper format.

Cheers

I don't understand the question. At all.

I think he's asking whether we should trust the machines man builds or not because knowledge is relative and subjective. this might cause man to create machines which 'appear' to work but in reality, they're just showing what we want to see... that's his question I'm guessing and it's pertinent although not well-formed.

Unfortunately not all knowledge is relative and subjective. Secondly I don't think we have created many machines that show what we want to see; the assumption made here is that humans generate knowledge out of nothing. In reality, if the machine reacts to something, some form of knowledge can always be deduced. How we deduce it is another issue. The question here tries to get us to evaluate whether there is a limit to knowledge and whether objects/things can exist without us knowing through our immediate ways of knowing.

However, one of the assumptions in the question (maybe because it’s poorly phrased?) is that it implies that without technology infrared and ultraviolet waves would not exist. It's the whole 'if a tree falls in a rainforest and no one saw or heard it fall, did the tree fall?' situation.