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1、EnergyandtheIndustrialRevolutionForyearshistorianshavesoughttoidentifycrucialelementsintheeighteenth-centuryriseinindustry,technology,andeconomicpowerKnownastheIndustrialRevolution,andmanygiveprominencetotheproblemofenergy.Untiltheeighteenthcentury,peoplerel
2、iedonenergyderivedfromplantsaswellasanimalandhumanmuscletoprovidepowerIncreasedefficiencyintheuseofwaterandwindhelpedwithsuchtasksaspumping,milling,orsailing.However,bytheeighteenthcentury,GreatBritaininparticularwasexperiencinganenergyshortage.Wood,theprima
3、rysourceofheatforhomesandindustriesandalsousedintheironindustryasprocessedcharcoal,wasdiminishinginsupply.GreatBritainhadlargeamountsofcoal;however,therewerenotyetefficientmeansbywhichtoproducemechanicalenergyortopowermachinery.Thiswastooccurwithprogressinth
4、edevelopmentofthesteamengine.Inthelate1700sJamesWattdesignedanefficientandcommerciallyviablesteamenginethatwassoonappliedtoavarietyofindustrialusesasitbecamecheapertouse.Theenginehelpedsolvetheproblemofdrainingcoalminesofgroundwaterandincreasedtheproductiono
5、fcoalneededtopowersteamengineselsewhere.Arotaryengineattachedtothesteamengineenabledshaftstobeturnedandmachinestobedriven,resultinginmillsusingsteampowertospinandweavecotton.Sincethesteamenginewasfiredbycoal,thelargemillsdidnotneedtobelocatedbyrivers,ashadmi
6、llsthatusedwater-drivenmachines.Theshifttoincreasedmechanizationincottonproductionisapparentintheimportofrawcottonandthesaleofcottongoods.Between1760and1850,theamountofrawcottonimportedincreased230times.ProductionofBritishcottongoodsincreasedsixtyfold,andcot
7、tonclothbecameGreatBritain’smostimportantproduct,accountingforone-halfofallexports.Thesuccessofthesteamengineresultedinincreaseddemandsforcoal,andtheconsequentincreaseincoalproductionwasmadepossibleasthesteam-poweredpumpsdrainedwaterfromtheever-deepercoalsea
8、msfoundbelowthewatertable.Theavailabilityofsteampowerandthedemandsfornewmachinesfacilitatedthetransformationoftheironindustry.Charcoal,madefromwoodandthusinlimitedsupply,wasreplacedwithcoal-deri