Netherlands VWO 5 Nature, Life and Technology
Chapters: 2
1. Health and safety
The healthy and sick human · Protection and safety
- Human Health and Disease – Health means the body, mind and social life all work well. Diseases can be caused by germs (pathogens) like bacteria, viruses, protozoa, worms and fungi. Our body fights them with two kinds of immunity: innate (we are born with it) and acquired (it learns and remembers). Vaccines use this memory. HIV destroys helper T cells and causes AIDS. Cancer is cells dividing without control. Drugs and alcohol harm the body and mind, especially in teenagers.
2. Technological development
Methods of technological development · Processes and products
- The Design Process: From Problem to Product – The design process is a loop of steps designers use to solve a real problem for real people: investigate the need, define it in a brief and a measurable specification, generate many ideas, build a prototype, then test and evaluate it against the specification. Whatever fails sends you back round the loop. This repeating is called iteration, and it is how almost every product, app, building and artwork is improved.
- Product Analysis: Taking a Product Apart to Judge It – Product analysis means studying an existing product to understand who it is for, how it works, what it is made of, how it was made and how well it meets its users' needs. Designers use questions such as ACCESS FM, take the product apart (disassembly), test it, and then evaluate it against clear criteria to suggest improvements.