Question

How did interactions among the peoples and societies of the world during the age of discovery affect European technology?

They led to technological growth.
They had no real impact on technology.
They were damaging to technological know-how.
They stifled technological growth.

Answer 1

They led to technological growth.

Explanation and examples:
- New navigational demands and knowledge from contacts spurred advances in ship design (caravel, carrack), cartography, longitude/latitude techniques, and navigational instruments (improved astrolabes, cross-staffs, later the sextant and better compasses).
- Transfer and adoption of technologies such as gunpowder and new metallurgical techniques produced more effective firearms, cannons, and naval artillery.
- The Columbian Exchange brought crops (potatoes, maize, etc.) that improved nutrition and supported population and urban growth, expanding labor and markets that fueled technological innovation.
- Access to new raw materials and wealth (precious metals, timber, sugar, etc.) financed shipbuilding, workshops, universities, and scientific inquiry, accelerating technical development.

Overall, contact and exchange during the Age of Discovery stimulated European technological growth rather than stifling it.