Tool
A Tool is an artifact used by an organism to perform a specific task though tool use.
- Context:
- It can range from being an Animal Tool, to being a Human Tool, to being an AI Tool.
- It can range from being a Simple Tool to being a Complex Tool.
- It can range from being a Natural Tool to being a Invented Tool (such as a technological tool).
- It can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task.
- It can be used for Tool Purposes, such as the preparation of food, hunting, the manufacture of weapons, the working of materials to produce clothing and useful artifacts and crafts, and the construction of housing, businesses, infrastructure, and transportnation.
- ...
- Example(s):
- Simple Tools, such as:
- Physical Tools, such as:
- a Stick Tool, used by a Chimpanzee, to extract termites from a mound.
- a Rock Tool used by a Sea Otter to crack open shellfish.
- a Twig Tool used by a New Caledonian Crow to extract insects from tree bark.
- a Sponge Tool used by a Dolphin to protect its snout while foraging on the seafloor.
- a Leaf Tool, used by a Crow, to gather water.
- a Screwdriver that showcases the simplicity and versatility of hand tools.
- a Hammer used for driving nails into various materials.
- a Coconut Shell Tool, used by an Octopus, for protection.
- ...
- Physical Tools, such as:
- Complex Tools, such as:
- Physical Tools, such as:
- a Paintbrush used by artists to create paintings.
- a Stethoscope used by doctors to listen to heart and lung sounds.
- a Microscope that highlights the importance of tools in scientific research.
- a 3D Printer that exemplifies modern manufacturing tools.
- a Laptop used for a wide range of tasks from writing to programming.
- a Smartphone used for communication, browsing, and various applications.
- ...
- Virtual Tools, such as:
- an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that demonstrates the complexity and utility of software tools in programming.
- a Web Search API used to gather information from the internet.
- a NLU Tool ...
- a Computer Vision Tool used for image recognition and analysis.
- a Communication Tool.
- ...
- Physical Tools, such as:
- ...
- Simple Tools, such as:
- Counter-Example(s):
- Concepts, which are not an artifact.
- Sensory Organ, such as a vision organ.
- ...
- See: Ability, Instrument, Mechanical Device, Paleolithic, Physical Object, Tool Use by Animals, Wood.
References
2024
- (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tool Retrieved:2024-5-20.
- ... possible handle of a hammer, and rule.]] A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates back hundreds of millennia, have been observed using tools to make other tools.
Early human tools, made of such materials as stone, bone, and wood, were used for the preparation of food, hunting, the manufacture of weapons, and the working of materials to produce clothing and useful artifacts and crafts such as pottery, along with the construction of housing, businesses, infrastructure, and transportation. The development of metalworking made additional types of tools possible. Harnessing energy sources, such as animal power, wind, or steam, allowed increasingly complex tools to produce an even larger range of items, with the Industrial Revolution marking an inflection point in the use of tools. The introduction of widespread automation in the 19th and 20th centuries allowed tools to operate with minimal human supervision, further increasing the productivity of human labor.
By extension, concepts that support systematic or investigative thought are often referred to as "tools" or "toolkits".
- ... possible handle of a hammer, and rule.]] A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates back hundreds of millennia, have been observed using tools to make other tools.
2015b
- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tool#Noun
- A mechanical device intended to make a task easier.
- Equipment used in a profession, e.g., tools of the trade.
- Something to perform an operation; an instrument; a means.
- (Computing) A piece of software used to develop software or hardware, or to perform low-level operations.
- A person or group which is used or controlled, usually unwittingly, by another person or group.
2015a
- (Wikipedia, 2015) ⇒ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/tool Retrieved:2015-11-29.
- A tool is any physical item that can be used to achieve a goal, especially if the item is not consumed in the process. Tool use by humans dates back millions of years, and other animals are also known to employ simple tools.
Tools that are used in particular fields or activities may have different designations such as "instrument", "utensil", "implement", "machine", "device," or "apparatus". The set of tools needed to achieve a goal is "equipment". The knowledge of constructing, obtaining and using tools is technology.
- A tool is any physical item that can be used to achieve a goal, especially if the item is not consumed in the process. Tool use by humans dates back millions of years, and other animals are also known to employ simple tools.