Social Networks in the History of Innovation and Invention

This book integrates the history of science and technology with modern social network theory. The author uses historical examples and case studies to show that exponential growth in technical innovation is linked to growth of historical innovation networks.

This book integrates history of science and technology with modern social network theory. Using examples from the history of machines, as well as case studies from wireless, radio and chaos theory, the author challenges the genius model of invention. Network analysis concepts are presented to demonstrate the societal nature of invention in areas such as steam power, internal combustion engines, early aviation, air conditioning and more. Using modern measures of network theory, the author demonstrates that the social networks of invention from the 19th and early 20th centuries have similar characteristics to modern 21st C networks such as the World Wide Web. The book provides evidence that exponential growth in technical innovation is linked to the growth of historical innovation networks.

The reader is introduced to constructing network diagrams and matrices for history of invention Seven case studies on the social network nature of innovation and invention bring the topic to life for the audience Mathematical measures of social networks are applied to history of invention New insights on the social nature of invention of steam engine, internal combustion engine, aviation, radio etc. will be of interest to students, researchers and practitioners as well as historians

Inhalt

Preface and Acknowledgements.- Chapter 1 Introduction: James Watt's Social Network.- Chapter 2 Networks in the Machine Age: From Leonardo to Clocks to Reuleaux.- Chapter 3 Social Networks of the Internal Combustion Engine and Automobile.- Chapter 4 Social Networks in Early Aviation History.- Chapter 5 Wireless and Radio Electronics Social Networks.- Chapter 6 Social Networks in Nonlinear Dynamics, Chaos and Fractals.- Chapter 7.- Subject Index.- Author Index.