The Applied Sciences
The applied sciences deal with the process of making scientific knowledge manifest in the physical world. This can include testing theoretical models using formal science or solving actual problems by consulting the natural sciences.
The branches of engineering are closely related to the applied sciences due to the fundamental nature of the former fields. Its use in the fields of industry is commonly referred to as research and development, though the term has seldom been put to use in a serious manner in the past few millenia. In summary, applied science is important for developing and maintaining technology.
Applied science is contrasted from fundamental science by its mission to provide practical solutions to potential and existing problems instead of merely seeking to fulfill one's curiosity about the nature of the world.
1.0 Assisted IntelligenceAssisted intelligence is the field which deals with the augmentation of one's natural mental capacity. It is officially defined as "the study and design of mentally assisting agents" where a mentally assisting agent is a system that gathers computational information from a client and processes it in tandem with said client before sending back the resulting set of solutions for consolidation in the client's brain. Talen Tzu, the ancient scholar who founded assisted intelligence, coined the term, originally defining it as "the science and engineering of artificial brains."
The field was founded on the claim that the principles behind a central component of thought processing, the brain, specifically the neurons of the brain, can be so precisely described that it can be directly aided by an external artificial component. Assisted intelligence is looked upon rather optimistically, becoming an essential part of contemporary high-precision industries.
This field is most similar, and is the Furen Tze counterpart, to what other civilizations call artificial intelligence.
Examples include: stock market trading centers, weather forecasting devices, and super long distance portal plotting interfaces.
2.0 Computing TechnologyComputing technology is the field concerned with the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their implementation and application in computing systems, also known as computers. A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem.
Computing technology, therefore, in its most basic definition, is the field of designing and building computers.
The field's origins predate all known eras familiar to contemporary knowledge, having a history stretching back to an age with extremely scant surviving records. Computing technology, while having been surpassed in many ways by its offshoot, assisted intelligence, still remains an essential component of contemporary civilian life, being far less expensive and cumbersome than the latter.
Examples include: an abacus-analogue, encoders, and decoders.
3.0 Energy ManipulationEnergy manipulation is the application of different forms of energy in a practical setting. It encompasses a wide range of subordinate fields ranging from thermodynamics to optics to exotic forms of radiation.
The field was initially put into use by producing fire, smelting metals, maintaining active thermal regulation, as well as providing light and cooking in areas where using fire is neither conducive nor readily available. Today, it finds its place in home appliances, medical diagnostics and interventions, industrial-scale manufacturing, and military equipment.
Examples include: thermal regulation, spectrum vision training, and directed energy weaponry.
4.0 Energy ProductionEnergy production is the gathering of energy from a raw source, as well as storing it for use at a later time. At its most primitive, it involves carbohydrate loading, while the most high-end of applications include recycling of waste heat.
It is generally accepted that the field came into being at the same time as, or at least shortly after, the foundation of energy manipulation. Each fields require the parallel application and advancement of the other in order to function effectively, if at all. Energy production has its place in contemporary technology in the form of heat traps and specially formulated diets for high performance activities.
5.0 Environmental TechnologyEnvironmental technology is the application of environmental science to conserve the natural environment and the natural resources therein. It also aims to reduce or reverse the negative impacts of civilization on the biosphere.
The field was initially put into use by a variety of ancient nations after realizing the negative environmental impact caused by excessive use of technology, primarily those of the military and industrial kind. While inherently "green" unregulated use of Furen Tze technology can still cause major impacts on the environment by compromising natural thermal currents, disrupting the biological rhythms of wildlife or outright destroying entire biomes, the latter being a common side effect of large scale battles between the more advanced polities.
It is not uncommon to see the majority of Furen Tze technologies prioritizing the environment's safety over most other factors, with the only exception primarily being those used by the military and other high-risk professions, for obvious reasons.
Examples include: vertical gardening, chemical waste filters, and energy saving devices.
6.0 Gravitational TechnologyGravitational technology concerns itself with the manipulation of gravity to achieve a goal or objective.
The field was discovered rather early on in known history, seeing its primary application in the fields of personal flight and military architecture. Individuals would often use artificial gravitational fields to pull themselves off the ground and towards their intended destinations in much the same manner as the tiltrotor aircraft employed by some non-Furen Tze civilizations. It was also common for military commanders to make float-capable fortifications with trap-laden interiors capitalizing on variable gravity. Later records show accounts of civilian structures also capable of floating off the ground primarily to weather out major floods and earthquakes.
Contemporary gravitational technology sees its greatest use in spaceborne structures and vessels, both as stabilization and propulsion for said constructs and as a means of providing a standard, and more importantly stable, point of orientation for their occupants.
Examples include: personal flight, inertialess drives, and gravitational force dampeners.
7.0 Material ScienceOne of the three fundamental sciences, the other two being the spatial and temporal sciences. Materials science encompasses all fields primarily concerned with matter, its fundamental properties, and its consequences to a wide array of areas in science and engineering. It analyzes the relationship between the structure of materials at macroscopic and macroscopic levels, incorporating the underlying principles into a variety of processes. It incorporates elements of applied physics and chemistry, as well as the other fundamental sciences. It is also an important part of forensic engineering and failure analysis.
The field has always existed since the first time a Furen Tze used a stick to poke at things. During more refined eras, its practitioners primarily took the form of architects and metalsmiths, who both aimed to squeeze eery bit of efficiency out of the materials available at the time. One of materials science's most recent subordinate fields, nanotechnology, has made it a vital asset to space travel, exploration and colonization, as well as military hardware.
Examples include: cement, armor, and nanofabrics.
8.0 Spatial ScienceOne of the three fundamental sciences, the other two being the material and temporal sciences. Spatial science encompasses all fields primarily concerned with space, its fundamental properties, and its application in real life. It analyzes the effects of space on other aspects of the world, and vice versa, incorporating the findings into new and existing systems. It heavily incorporates theoretical physics for testing and eventual implementation.
The field possessed a strong air of mystery during the older eras, with users being few and far between, as well as rarely revealing the secrets of their trade. These early practitioners primarily served in the military or as highly esteemed artisans. More recent eras became far more open to the science, with several practitioners taking the role of teachers and actively disseminating their knowledge to select apprentices. It was during the beginning of the current era was spatial science truly introduced to the public, as entire academies dedicated to it sprang up all across the globe.
Today it plays an integral role in both storage and production, as well as space travel. The latter primarily due to the breakthrough that is portal technology, the Furen Tze brand of faster-than-light transportation.
Examples include: compressors, matter traps, and portals.
9.0 Temporal ScienceOne of the three fundamental sciences, the other two being the material and spatial sciences. Temporal science encompasses all fields related to the functional application and manipulation of time. Like spatial science, it heavily incorporates theoretical physics for testing and implementation.
The field began as a method of creating multiple, and most of the time consistent, internal clocks within an individual. The technology found its home in farmers, food artisans, managers, as well as all other professions primarily dependent on the accurate measurement of time. As time progressed, practitioners began to extend the technology into the actual manipulation of time within their immediate vicinity. Contemporary temporal science is now capable of accelerating and decelerating time within a specified area, and is primarily employed to further augment assisted intelligence, prolong the lifespan of perishables, as well as bake pizza faster.
Examples include: acceleration devices, pseudo stasis chambers, and internal alarm clocks.
