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1、EnergyandtheIndustrialRevolutionForyearshistorianshavesoughttoidentifycrucialelementsintheeighteenth-centuryriseinindustry,technology,andeconomicpowerKnownastheIndustrialRevolution,andmanygiveprominencetotheproblemofenergy.Untiltheeighteenthcentury,peoplereliedonenergyderivedfromp
2、lantsaswellasanimalandhumanmuscletoprovidepowerIncreasedefficiencyintheuseofwaterandwindhelpedwithsuchtasksaspumping,milling,orsailing.However,bytheeighteenthcentury,GreatBritaininparticularwasexperiencinganenergyshortage.Wood,theprimarysourceofheatforhomesandindustriesandalsoused
3、intheironindustryasprocessedcharcoal,wasdiminishinginsupply.GreatBritainhadlargeamountsofcoal;however,therewerenotyetefficientmeansbywhichtoproducemechanicalenergyortopowermachinery.Thiswastooccurwithprogressinthedevelopmentofthesteamengine.Inthelate1700sJamesWattdesignedanefficie
4、ntandcommerciallyviablesteamenginethatwassoonappliedtoavarietyofindustrialusesasitbecamecheapertouse.Theenginehelpedsolvetheproblemofdrainingcoalminesofgroundwaterandincreasedtheproductionofcoalneededtopowersteamengineselsewhere.Arotaryengineattachedtothesteamengineenabledshaftsto
5、beturnedandmachinestobedriven,resultinginmillsusingsteampowertospinandweavecotton.Sincethesteamenginewasfiredbycoal,thelargemillsdidnotneedtobelocatedbyrivers,ashadmillsthatusedwater-drivenmachines.Theshifttoincreasedmechanizationincottonproductionisapparentintheimportofrawcottona
6、ndthesaleofcottongoods.Between1760and1850,theamountofrawcottonimportedincreased230times.ProductionofBritishcottongoodsincreasedsixtyfold,andcottonclothbecameGreatBritain’smostimportantproduct,accountingforone-halfofallexports.Thesuccessofthesteamengineresultedinincreaseddemandsfor
7、coal,andtheconsequentincreaseincoalproductionwasmadepossibleasthesteam-poweredpumpsdrainedwaterfromtheever-deepercoalseamsfoundbelowthewatertable.Theavailabilityofsteampowerandthedemandsfornewmachinesfacilitatedthetransformationoftheironindustry.Charcoal,madefromwoodandthusinlimit
8、edsupply,wasreplacedwithcoal-deri
