Abstract
In our last iconoclastic example of the genius-inventor we construct a social network for Willis Carrier and the beginnings of air conditioning technology. In a summary of exponential knowledge growth in other technologies, we draw the conclusion that human patterns of innovation have been similar across two centuries but that the time scale for explosive growth has been decreasing dramatically. We also review the elements for constructing social networks in the history of technology and speculate on models for innovation.
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Moon, F. (2014). The Last Hero-Inventor: A Theory of Innovation?. In: Social Networks in the History of Innovation and Invention. History of Mechanism and Machine Science, vol 22. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7528-2_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7528-2_7
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