Harnessing the Power of Water
My understanding of this focus question is that the first act of harnessing the power of water is shown by the study of Egyptian history , which reveals ancient origins of agriculture. The modern world owes a debt to this great civilization which helped many of our agricultural innovations basic farming techniques and irrigation and horticultural arts. Irrigation natural river has shaped the landscape in early ancient Egypt.
Drainage was not necessary for the Valley to become liveable. It may have been a problem in the lower parts of the delta, which were often swampy. Gardening was much more labor intensive than agriculture. Gardens, orchards and vineyards were often on high ground and far enough from the Nile. They had to be irrigated by hand with water drawn from wells or river. Moderns humans today still use the ancient egyptian irrigation methods to harness the life giving essence of water with the irrigation of crops.
Later, other ways that humans began harnessing kinetic energy (humans and machines working together) using the power of moving water to turn water wheels, etc. Those wheels were connected to grinding stones, saws, and even giant axels to power huge factories in England at that time.
Though the real innovation was when it was discovered that water, when heated, produced steam which could be used in more powerful and efficient operations.
The first steam engines were simply pumps to keep coal mines dry. Humans were harnessing water, as steam to pump water out of a coal shaft - which was then used in the engine, to mine coal that was used for all kinds of reasons.
Then they harnessed the same steam pumps to raise water several feet so that it would run over water wheels. Eventually inventors figured out how to use steam to create a vacuum, which made the piston even more efficient and allowed it to be used to directly power the spinning wheels in the factories, completely replacing the water wheel.
After steam took over the river, inventors figured out how to make the boiler still more efficient and put it on wheels and invented the locomotive, powered by water, in the form of steam, heated by coal.
Finally, it was discovered that the same steam piston churning a spinning wheel could be connected to a generator and it then could produce electricity. When humans decided to rearrange the system allowing for steam to directly turn the turbine, so even in places where there wasn't a waterfall spinning a massive water wheel, water harnessed in the form of steam, heated by coal, gas or nuclear fuel - are spinning turbines and generating electricity
Water energy is also used in cooking and washing of clothes and also for general hygiene, baths etc.
My understanding of this focus question is that the first act of harnessing the power of water is shown by the study of Egyptian history , which reveals ancient origins of agriculture. The modern world owes a debt to this great civilization which helped many of our agricultural innovations basic farming techniques and irrigation and horticultural arts. Irrigation natural river has shaped the landscape in early ancient Egypt.
Drainage was not necessary for the Valley to become liveable. It may have been a problem in the lower parts of the delta, which were often swampy. Gardening was much more labor intensive than agriculture. Gardens, orchards and vineyards were often on high ground and far enough from the Nile. They had to be irrigated by hand with water drawn from wells or river. Moderns humans today still use the ancient egyptian irrigation methods to harness the life giving essence of water with the irrigation of crops.
Later, other ways that humans began harnessing kinetic energy (humans and machines working together) using the power of moving water to turn water wheels, etc. Those wheels were connected to grinding stones, saws, and even giant axels to power huge factories in England at that time.
Though the real innovation was when it was discovered that water, when heated, produced steam which could be used in more powerful and efficient operations.
The first steam engines were simply pumps to keep coal mines dry. Humans were harnessing water, as steam to pump water out of a coal shaft - which was then used in the engine, to mine coal that was used for all kinds of reasons.
Then they harnessed the same steam pumps to raise water several feet so that it would run over water wheels. Eventually inventors figured out how to use steam to create a vacuum, which made the piston even more efficient and allowed it to be used to directly power the spinning wheels in the factories, completely replacing the water wheel.
After steam took over the river, inventors figured out how to make the boiler still more efficient and put it on wheels and invented the locomotive, powered by water, in the form of steam, heated by coal.
Finally, it was discovered that the same steam piston churning a spinning wheel could be connected to a generator and it then could produce electricity. When humans decided to rearrange the system allowing for steam to directly turn the turbine, so even in places where there wasn't a waterfall spinning a massive water wheel, water harnessed in the form of steam, heated by coal, gas or nuclear fuel - are spinning turbines and generating electricity
Water energy is also used in cooking and washing of clothes and also for general hygiene, baths etc.