Ever wondered where your pen came from? You bought it from the shopkeeper. the shopkeeper bought it from the distributor. the distributor bought it from the manufacturer. Using the available raw materials, the manufacturer makes the final product, in our case, the pen. The term 'industry' refers to a sector that produces goods or related services in an economy. Therefore, a group of pen manufacturers can be referred to as an industry.
By the end of this topic, you are expected to;
The 'industry' can also be defined as the skill of making other products from raw materials. The 'industry' involves the extraction and processing of raw materials into finished products.
EARLY SOURCES OF ENERGY
Energy can be defined as the ability to do work. Some of the early sources of energy that can be identified include;
Wood. After the discovery of fire, wood developed as an energy source. Some of the uses of wood were;
Wind. Wind was mainly used for driving sailing ships. During the industrial revolution, the wind was used to grind grain and process foods by windmills. Windmills were also used to generate electricity and pump water. However, the use of windmills is limited to places with fewer trees. One of the major disadvantages of using wind as a source of energy is that it is irregular and inconsistent in strength and direction.
Water. Water has been harnessed in order to produce HEP. Water was used to turn propellers that turned grindstones to grind grains into flour. In the industrial revolution, water-powered machines were used to spin silk, make weapons of war, make copper pots and sharpen various tools. Water is also considered to be an unreliable energy source as water levels may fall too low during dry weather, making it difficult to generate electricity.
USES OF METALS
The age of metals is divided into the Bronze and Iron Age. The man moved from the Stone Age to the age of metals since metals had the following advantages;
GOLD
Gold is malleable and therefore it could be molded easily into the desired shapes without smelting it. However, tools made from gold could bend easily due to its softness. Gold was also heavy and difficult to find.
COPPER
Copper is harder than gold and therefore it would make better tools. The metal could be hardened further by mixing it with other metals to form alloys during smelting.
BRONZE
Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. This makes it harder than copper. It was mainly used during the Bronze Age.
IRON
This is a metal that was widely used in the Iron Age. It was used to manufacture tools, as a medium of exchange, storing wealth and for making weapons such as arrows and spears.
Industries convert raw materials into high-value products for the people. The industry involves all economic activities that deal with the extraction of services, production of goods, and provision of services. Therefore, industries are concerned with:
CLASSIFICATION OF INDUSTRIES
Industries can be classified on the basis of different factors such as raw materials, size, and ownership.
RAW MATERIAL
They include:
SIZE
The size of an industry is determined by the money invested, goods produced, and the number of employees. There are two major types of industries on the basis of size:
OWNERSHIP
They include:
Different industries interact. For example, many industries are dependent on the oil mining industry. Petroleum products are used to fuel different types of machinery in different types of industries.
IMPORTANCE OF INDUSTRIES
The development of industries plays a very crucial role in improving the economic condition of a country. The following are some of the importance of industries:
