Applied science The use of scientific knowledge and the scientific approach to solve a practical problem. By contrast, pure science is the quest to explain and understand phenomena (things that are observed to exist or happen) in the natural world. 

Artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the ability of a computer to carry out tasks by thinking in the same intelligent way that a human does, and, eventually, better.

Automation The technology by which a process is carried out with no—or very little—human involvement. Automation uses machinery, electronics and IT systems. Examples range from a household thermostat controlling a boiler to the manufacturing process in a large factory. The electronics and car industries are heavily automated.

Biomedical engineering (or medical engineering) The application of engineering principles to develop healthcare systems and products, including those for diagnosis (identifying the cause of an illness or condition), monitoring and therapy (attempted remedy). Biomedical engineering includes the development of prostheses (artificial devices that replace missing body parts) and imaging equipment such as MRI scanners.

Biotechnology (often abbreviated to biotech) The controlled use of biological processes or living organisms to develop useful products. Biotechnology has been around for centuries. People have long used micro-organisms such as moulds and yeasts to make food and drinks (for example bread, cheese and beer) and the domestication of animals through selective breeding. Modern techniques include improving crop yields or combating diseases through genetic engineering, and producing biofuels and chemicals from renewable biomass. 

Computing The design and building of computer hardware (the physical parts of a computer, such as its electronic circuits and disc drives) or software (a program, or set of programs, that a computer stores and uses). Computing is a vital part of modern industrial technology.

Digital Age see Information Age

Digital technology Technology based on electronic devices that operate using digital patterns—that is, data represented by binary numbers. In a digital electronic circuit, the electric current has only two states: on or off. These states represent the numbers one and zero.

Electronics The study of how electrons behave and how they can be made to do useful jobs. Electrons are tiny particles inside atoms, the building blocks of matter. In some materials, such as metals, they can move easily from one atom to another. If electrons are made to flow along a pathway, such as a wire, an electric current is produced. By controlling electric currents, an electronic device can carry out a wide range of tasks.

Engine (also called a motor) A machine designed to convert one form of energy into mechanical energy. Heat engines, such as the internal combustion engine, jet engine or rocket engine, burn a fuel releasing the fuel’s chemical energy to create heat which is then used to do work. Electric motors convert electrical energy into mechanical energy.

Engineering The use of scientific principles to design and build machines and structures, and to achieve other practical results. Engineering covers a broad range of more specialized fields, including chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. The term engineering comes from the Latin words ingenium, meaning "cleverness" (the origin of the word "engine") and ingeniare, meaning "to devise".

High technology (often abbreviated to high tech) The most advanced technology available. The opposite is low technology, which refers to simple or mechanical technology. For example, an abacus is a low-tech calculating device.

Information Age (also known as the Digital Age) The current period of history, which began in the middle of the 20th century, in which economies and societies once based on traditional types of industry that orginated in the Industrial Revolution have shifted towards those based on information technology. Thanks to the use of computing technology and the internet, information in the form of digital signals can be quickly and widely spread.

Information technology (IT) A term for all technologies—computing, electronics, internet and telecommunications—that store, process, transmit or display information. This information can be in the form of text, images, sound or video.

Infrastructure In engineering, infrastructure means the physical and software structures and systems that serve a country, city, a complex building like a block of flats or a hotel, or a facility like a factory, airport, school or hospital. It includes transport systems such as escalators, lifts, roads and railways, and utilities such as the heating, water supply, sewers, electrical grids and telecom links, including the internet.

Internet A telecommunication network that links computers around the world. Most computers connect to an internet service provider via a telephone or cable line. Internet uses include between email, world wide web, phone and file sharing.

Internet of things (IoT) A system of linked computers, mechanical and electronic devices. IoT includes the concept of the "smart home", in which domestic appliances, lighting fixtures, thermostats, home security systems and cameras can be controlled via laptops, smartphones and smart speakers.

Machine A device which carries out a task. It can be as complicated as a jet engine, computer or combine harvester—or as simple as a tool like a crowbar used to lift heavy stones or a wheel on an old cart.

Mechanism A machine that forms part of a larger machine. A machine that is made up a number of connected mechanisms, each of which carries out a task, can be called a mechanical system. Examples include the steering mechanism in a car or the winding mechanism of an old-fashioned wristwatch.

Motor see Engine

Nanotechnology (often abbreviated to nanotech) The manipulation of matter on an atomic or molecular scale, especially to build microscopic devices such as robots. A nanometre is a unit of length equal to one billionth of a metre (0.000000001 m).

Robotics The design, construction, operation and application of robots, moving machines that carry out a series of actions on command or by being programmed in advance and which can react to their surroundings. Some modern robots are fully autonomous: this means they can perform complex tasks without human help, even if their surroundings are changeable or dangerous. Robots are used in the fields of entertainment, manufacturing industry, housekeeping, space exploration, underwater archaeology, healthcare, scientific research and warfare. Drones, driverless cars and space probes are all types of robot.

Technology The use of scientific knowledge to create tools or machines (or the tools and machines themselves). The simplest form of technology is the development and use of basic tools.

Telecommunications (often abbreviated to telecoms) The sending and receiving of information using electricity, radio waves or light. The information can be phone calls, radio programmes, television pictures or computer data. Most forms of telecommunication require transmitting and receiving machines, and a network to link them together. All information is turned into signals that can travel through the network.

Tool A tool is an object used to modify the surrounding environment in some way. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings use tools to make other tools. A set of tools that is required to perform different tasks which form part of the same activity is called equipment.

Consultant: Mike Goldsmith