Exponential explosions of technology : innovations that changed the world / Joseph W. Goodman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Goodman, Joseph W., author.

Contributor:

SPIE (Society), publisher.

Series:

SPIE Press monograph ; PM404.

SPIE Press monograph ; PM404

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Technological innovations.

Technological forecasting.

Technology--Social aspects.

Technology.

Technology--Economic aspects.

Science and civilization.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (168 pages) : illustrations.

Place of Publication:

Bellingham, Washington (1000 20th St. Bellingham WA 98225-6705 USA) : SPIE, 2026.

Summary:

"The book Exponential Explosions of Technology: Innovations That Changed the World, by Joseph W. Goodman, explores how technological progress across diverse fields has followed-and often still follows-exponential trajectories. It begins by explaining the mathematics and meaning of exponential growth, then traces the phenomenon through more than twenty major domains of science and engineering. The book weaves together advances in electronics, energy, communications, biotechnology, food production, and land transportation, revealing how compounding innovation has transformed human capability. It highlights the accelerating improvements in computing power, data storage, imaging, energy production, medical discovery, and artificial intelligence, alongside real-world consequences such as cheaper renewable energy, more powerful neural networks, and the rise of electric vehicles. In its later chapters, it investigates why exponential growth is so pervasive, and what natural, physical, and economic limits might eventually constrain it. Through quantitative data and historical analysis, the book offers a panoramic view of how exponential technological change continues to reshape civilization."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

1. Introduction

2. What Is Exponential Growth?

3. Moore's Law: The Number of Transistors on an Integrated Circuit

4. The Number of Floating-Point Operations Performed by a Graphics Processing Unit

5. Solid-State Memory Capacity and Bandwidth

6. Koomey's Law: Computations per kWh of Energy

7. The Evolution of Camera Sensors

8. Swanson's Law: The Cost of One Watt of Solar Power

9. Solar and Wind Power Generation

10. Keck's Law: Data Rates in Optical Fiber

11. Mobile Network Speed

12. Kryder's Law: The Number of Bits Stored on a Magnetic Disk

13. Haitz's Law: The Brightness and Cost of Illumination

14. The Energy Density of Lithium-Ion Batteries

15. 3D Printing Resolution

16. The Aperture Size of Telescopes

17. The Energies of Particle Accelerators

18. The Accuracy of Time Keeping

19. Technology's Impact on Food Production

20. Technology's Impact on Land Transportation Speed

21. Eroom's Law: The Number of New Drugs Produced per {dollar}1B of R&D

22. Genome Sequencing Costs

23. Innovations in Vaccine Science and Technology

24. The Development of Antibiotics

25. Growth of Social Media

26. Growth of Capability of Artificial Neural Networks

27. The Electric Vehicle Renaissance

28. Why Is Exponential Growth of Technology So Common?

29. What Limits Exponential Growth?

Appendix: The Mathematics of Exponential Growth

Acknowledgements.

Notes:

Title from PDF title page (SPIE eBooks Website, viewed 2026-03-11)

ISBN:

9781510697683

OCLC:

1578989944