Editing Tool

{{Short description|Object used to achieve a goal}}
{{other uses}}
{{CS1 config|mode=cs1}}
[[File:MaryRose-carpentry tools1.jpg|thumb|Carpentry tools recovered from the wreck of the ''[[Mary Rose]]'', a 16th-century [[sailing ship]]—from the top: a [[mallet]], [[Brace (tool)|brace]], and [[Plane (tool)|plane]], the handles of a [[Auger (drill)|T-auger]] and [[Gimlet (tool)|gimlet]], possibly the handle of a [[hammer]], and a [[Ruler|rule]].]]
A '''tool''' is an [[Physical object|object]] that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many [[Tool use by animals|animals use simple tools]], only human beings, whose use of [[stone tool]]s dates back hundreds of millennia, have been observed using tools to make other tools.

Early human tools, made of such materials as [[Rock (geology)|stone]], [[bone]], and [[wood]], were used for the preparation of [[food]], [[hunting]], the manufacture of [[weapon]]s, and the working of materials to produce [[clothing]] and useful [[Cultural artifact|artifacts]] and [[craft]]s such as [[pottery]], along with the construction of [[housing]], [[business]]es, [[infrastructure]], and [[transport]]ation. The development of [[metalworking]] made additional types of tools possible. Harnessing [[energy sources]], such as [[Working animal|animal power]], [[wind]], or [[steam]], allowed increasingly complex tools to produce an even larger range of items, with the [[Industrial Revolution]] marking an inflection point in the use of tools. The introduction of widespread [[automation]] in the 19th and 20th centuries allowed tools to operate with minimal human supervision, further increasing the productivity of [[Work (human activity)|human labor]].

By extension, [[concept]]s that support systematic or investigative thought are often referred to as "tools" or "toolkits".

== Definition ==
While a common-sense understanding of the meaning of tool is widespread, several formal definitions have been proposed.

In 1981, Benjamin Beck published a widely used definition of tool use.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Beck |first=Benjamin B. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/5607368 |title=Animal tool behavior: the use and manufacture of tools by animals |date=1980 |publisher=Garland STPM Pub |isbn=0-8240-7168-9 |location=New York |oclc=5607368 |access-date=2022-08-28 |archive-date=2022-08-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829130907/https://www.worldcat.org/title/5607368 |url-status=live }}</ref> This has been modified to:{{blockquote|The external employment of an unattached or manipulable attached environmental object to alter more efficiently the form, position, or condition of another object, another organism, or the user itself, when the user holds and directly manipulates the tool during or prior to use and is responsible for the proper and effective orientation of the tool.<ref name="Shumaker">{{cite book |isbn=978-0801898532 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dx7slq__udwC&dq=Animal+Tool+Behaviour%3A+The+Use+and+Manufacture+of+Tools+by+Animals&pg=PT24 |title=Animal Tool Behavior: The Use and Manufacture of Tools by Animals |last1=Shumaker |first1=Robert W. |last2=Walkup |first2=Kristina R. |last3=Beck |first3=Benjamin B. |date=2 May 2011 | publisher=JHU Press |access-date=28 August 2022 |archive-date=29 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829130957/https://books.google.com/books?id=Dx7slq__udwC&dq=Animal+Tool+Behaviour%3A+The+Use+and+Manufacture+of+Tools+by+Animals&pg=PT24 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}Other, briefer definitions have been proposed:{{blockquote|An object carried or maintained for future use.|Finn, Tregenza, and Norman, 2009.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Finn |first1=Julian K. |last2=Tregenza |first2=Tom |last3=Norman |first3=Mark D. |year=2009 |title=Defensive tool use in a coconut-carrying octopus |journal=Curr. Biol. |volume=19 |issue=23 |pages=R1069–R1070 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2009.10.052 |pmid=20064403 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2009CBio...19R1069F |s2cid=26835945}}</ref>}}{{blockquote|The use of physical objects other than the animal's own body or appendages as a means to extend the physical influence realized by the animal.|Jones and Kamil, 1973<ref name="Jones and Kamil">{{Cite journal |last1=Jones |first1=T. B. |last2=Kamil |first2=A. C. |year=1973 |title=Tool-making and tool-using in the northern blue jay |url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1066&context=bioscibehavior |journal=Science |volume=180 |issue=4090 |pages=1076–1078 |bibcode=1973Sci...180.1076J |doi=10.1126/science.180.4090.1076 |pmid=17806587 |s2cid=22011846 |access-date=2022-08-28 |archive-date=2022-05-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510084238/https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1066&context=bioscibehavior |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>}}{{blockquote|An object that has been modified to fit a purpose ... [or] An inanimate object that one uses or modifies in some way to cause a change in the environment, thereby facilitating one's achievement of a target goal.|Hauser, 2000<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordhandbookof0000unse_s6g5/page/232 |title=The Oxford Handbook of Animal Ethics |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-0195-3719-63 |editor-last=Tom L. Beauchamp |page=[https://archive.org/details/oxfordhandbookof0000unse_s6g5/page/232 232] |editor-last2=R.G. Frey}}</ref>}}

== History ==
{{main | History of technology}}
[[File:Prehistoric Tools - Les Combarelles - Les Eyzies de Tayac - MNP.jpg|thumb|Prehistoric [[stone tool]]s over 10,000 years old, found in [[Les Combarelles]] cave, France]]
[[File:UpholsteryRegulator.jpg|thumb|An [[upholstery regulator]]]]

[[Anthropology|Anthropologists]] believe that the use of tools was an important step in the [[human evolution|evolution of mankind]].<ref name="lilley">{{Cite book |last=Miller |first=Terry E. |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.49387 |title=Sam, Sam-Ang |date=2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |series=Oxford Music Online |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.49387 |access-date=2021-01-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730093814/https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000049387 |archive-date=2022-07-30 |url-status=live}}</ref> Because tools are used extensively by both humans (Homo sapiens) and wild [[Common chimpanzee|chimpanzee]]s, it is widely assumed that the first routine use of tools took place prior to the divergence between the two [[ape]] species.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Whiten |first1=David J. |last2=Whiten |first2=Phyllis |date=April 2009 |title=Why Are Things Shaped the Way They Are? |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.5951/tcm.15.8.0464 |url-status=live |journal=Teaching Children Mathematics |volume=15 |issue=8 |pages=464–472 |doi=10.5951/tcm.15.8.0464 |issn=1073-5836 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730093811/https://pubs.nctm.org/view/journals/tcm/15/8/article-p464.xml |archive-date=2022-07-30 |access-date=2021-01-27|url-access=subscription }}</ref> These early tools, however, were likely made of perishable materials such as sticks, or consisted of unmodified stones that cannot be distinguished from other stones as tools.

Stone artifacts date back to about 2.5 million years ago.<ref name="encylopediahumanevolution">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/cambridgeencyclo00step |title=The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Evolution |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-521-32370-3 |editor-last=Jones, S. |location=Cambridge |editor-last2=Martin, R. |editor-last3=Pilbeam, D. |url-access=registration}} Also {{ISBN|0-521-46786-1}} (paperback)</ref> However, a 2010 study suggests the [[hominin]] species ''[[Australopithecus afarensis]]'' ate meat by carving animal [[Carcasses of animals|carcasses]] with stone implements. This finding pushes back the earliest known use of stone tools among hominins to about 3.4 million years ago.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=McPherron |first1=Shannon P. |last2=Zeresenay Alemseged |last3=Curtis W. Marean |last4=Jonathan G. Wynn |last5=Denne Reed |last6=Denis Geraads |last7=Rene Bobe |last8=Hamdallah A. Bearat |year=2010 |title=Evidence for stone-tool-assisted consumption of animal tissues before 3.39 million years ago at Dikika, Ethiopia |journal=Nature |volume=466 |issue=7308 |pages=857–60 |bibcode=2010Natur.466..857M |doi=10.1038/nature09248 |pmid=20703305 |s2cid=4356816}}</ref> Finds of actual tools date back at least 2.6 million years in [[Ethiopia]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sahnouni |first1=Mohamed |last2=Semaw |first2=Sileshi |last3=Rogers |first3=Michael |date=2013-07-04 |title=The African Acheulean |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199569885.013.0022 |url-status=live |journal=Oxford Handbooks Online |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199569885.013.0022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730093812/https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/28041/chapter-abstract/211941833?redirectedFrom=fulltext |archive-date=2022-07-30 |access-date=2021-01-27|url-access=subscription }}</ref> One of the earliest distinguishable stone tool forms is the [[hand axe]].

Up until recently, weapons found in digs were the only tools of "early man" that were studied and given importance. Now, more tools are recognized as culturally and historically relevant. As well as hunting, other activities required tools such as preparing food, "...nutting, [[Leather crafting|leatherworking]], grain harvesting and woodworking..."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://genderedinnovations.stanford.edu/methods/concepts.html|title=Rethinking Concepts and Theories |website=Gendered Innovations |access-date=19 January 2023}}</ref> Included in this group are "flake stone tools".

Tools are the most important items that the ancient humans used to climb to the top of the [[food chain]]; by inventing tools, they were able to accomplish tasks that human bodies could not, such as using a [[spear]] or [[bow and arrow|bow]] to kill [[Predation|prey]], since their teeth were not sharp enough to pierce many animals' skins. "Man the hunter" as the catalyst for Hominin change has been questioned. Based on marks on the bones at archaeological sites, it is now more evident that pre-humans were scavenging off of other predators' carcasses rather than killing their own food.<ref name="Holmes">{{Cite web |last=Holmes |first=Bob |title=Man's early hunting role in doubt |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3222-mans-early-hunting-role-in-doubt.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612111518/http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3222-mans-early-hunting-role-in-doubt.html |archive-date=12 June 2015 |access-date=12 November 2012 |publisher=Newscientist.com}}</ref>

=== Timeline of ancient tool development ===
Many tools were made in [[prehistory]] or in the early centuries of recorded history, but archaeological evidence can provide dates of development and use.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hollister-Short |first1=Graham |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/957126707 |title=History of Technology Volume 12. |last2=James |first2=Frank |date=2016 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-350-01858-7 |location=London |oclc=957126707 |access-date=2022-08-29 |archive-date=2022-08-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829130910/https://www.worldcat.org/title/957126707 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/261324840 |title=Encyclopaedia of the history of science, technology, and medicine in non-western cultures |date=2008 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-4020-4425-0 |editor-last=Selin |editor-first=Helaine |edition=2nd |location=Berlin |oclc=261324840 |access-date=2022-08-29 |archive-date=2022-08-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829130911/https://www.worldcat.org/title/261324840 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Headrick |first=Daniel R. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/320625444 |title=Technology: a world history |date=2009 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-971366-0 |location=Oxford |oclc=320625444 |access-date=2022-08-29 |archive-date=2022-08-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829130911/https://www.worldcat.org/title/320625444 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Div col|colwidth=27em}}
* [[Olduvai Gorge|Olduvai]] [[stone technology]] ([[Oldowan]]) 2.5&nbsp;million years ago (scrapers; to butcher dead animals)
* [[Hut]]s, 2 million years ago.
* [[Acheulean]] stone technology 1.6&nbsp;million years ago (hand axe)
* [[Fire]] creation and manipulation, used since the [[Paleolithic]], possibly by [[Homo erectus]] as early as [[1 E13 s|1.5 Million years ago]]
* [[Boat]]s, 900,000 years ago.
* [[Cooking]], 500,000 years ago.
* [[Javelin]]s, 400,000 years ago.
* [[adhesive|Glue]], 200,000 years ago.
* [[Clothing]] possibly 170,000 years ago.
* [[Stone tool]]s, used by [[Homo floresiensis]], possibly [[1 E12 s|100,000&nbsp;years ago]].
* [[Harpoon]]s, 90,000 years ago.
* [[Bow and arrow]]s, 70,000–60,000 years ago.
* [[Sewing needle]]s, 60,000 – 50,000 BC
* [[Flute]]s, 43,000 years ago.
* [[Fishing net]]s, 43,000 years ago.
* [[Rope]]s, 40,000 years ago.
* [[Ceramic]]s {{circa|25,000&nbsp;BC}}
* [[Fish hook|Fishing hook]]s, {{circa|23,000 years ago}}.
* [[Domestication]] of animals, {{circa|15,000&nbsp;BC}}
* [[Sling (weapon)]] {{circa|9th millennium&nbsp;BC}}
* [[Microlith]]s {{circa|9th millennium&nbsp;BC}}
* [[Brick]] used for construction in the Middle East {{circa|6000&nbsp;BC}}
* [[Agriculture]] and [[Plough]] {{circa|4000&nbsp;BC}}
* [[Wheel]] {{circa|4000&nbsp;BC}}
* [[Gnomon]] {{circa|4000&nbsp;BC}}
* [[Writing system]]s {{circa|3500&nbsp;BC}}
* [[Copper]] {{circa|3200 BC}}
* [[Bronze]] {{circa|2500&nbsp;BC}}
* [[Salt]] {{circa|2500&nbsp;BC}}
* [[Chariot]] {{circa|2000&nbsp;BC}}
* [[Iron]] {{circa|1500&nbsp;BC}}
* [[Sundial]] {{circa|800&nbsp;BC}}
* [[Glass]] {{circa|500&nbsp;BC}}
* [[Catapult]] {{circa|400&nbsp;BC}}
* [[Cast iron]] {{circa|400&nbsp;BC}}
* [[Horseshoe]] {{circa|300&nbsp;BC}}
* [[Stirrup]] first few centuries&nbsp;AD

{{Div col end}}Several of the six classic [[simple machines]] ([[wheel and axle]], [[lever]], [[pulley]], [[inclined plane]], [[Wedge (mechanical device)|wedge]], and [[Screw (simple machine)|screw]]) were invented in [[Mesopotamia]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Moorey |first1=Peter Roger Stuart |title=Ancient Mesopotamian Materials and Industries: The Archaeological Evidence |date=1999 |publisher=[[Eisenbrauns]] |isbn=9781575060422}}</ref> The wheel and axle mechanism first appeared with the [[potter's wheel]], invented in what is now Iraq during the 5th millennium BC.<ref>{{cite book |author=D.T. Potts |title=A Companion to the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East |year=2012 |page=285}}</ref> This led to the invention of the [[wheeled vehicle]] in Mesopotamia during the early 4th millennium BC.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Attema |first1=P. A. J. |last2=Los-Weijns |first2=Ma |last3=Pers |first3=N. D. Maring-Van der |date=December 2006 |title=Bronocice, Flintbek, Uruk, JEbel Aruda and Arslantepe: The Earliest Evidence Of Wheeled Vehicles In Europe And The Near East |journal=Palaeohistoria |publisher=[[University of Groningen]] |volume=47/48 |pages=10–28 (11)}}</ref> The [[lever]] was used in the [[shadoof]] water-lifting device, the first [[Crane (machine)|crane]] machine, which appeared in Mesopotamia {{circa|3000 BC}},<ref>{{cite book |last1=Paipetis |first1=S. A. |title=The Genius of Archimedes – 23 Centuries of Influence on Mathematics, Science and Engineering: Proceedings of an International Conference held at Syracuse, Italy, June 8–10, 2010 |last2=Ceccarelli |first2=Marco |date=2010 |publisher=[[Springer Science & Business Media]] |isbn=9789048190911 |page=416}}</ref> and then in [[ancient Egyptian technology]] {{circa|2000 BC}}.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Faiella |first1=Graham |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bGMyBTS0-v0C&pg=PA27 |title=The Technology of Mesopotamia |date=2006 |publisher=[[The Rosen Publishing Group]] |isbn=9781404205604 |page=27 |access-date=2022-08-29 |archive-date=2020-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103045623/https://books.google.com/books?id=bGMyBTS0-v0C&pg=PA27 |url-status=live }}</ref> The earliest evidence of [[pulley]]s date back to Mesopotamia in the early 2nd millennium BC.<ref name="Eisenbrauns">{{cite book |last1=Moorey |first1=Peter Roger Stuart |url=https://archive.org/details/ancientmesopotam00moor |title=Ancient Mesopotamian Materials and Industries: The Archaeological Evidence |date=1999 |publisher=[[Eisenbrauns]] |isbn=9781575060422 |page=[https://archive.org/details/ancientmesopotam00moor/page/n12 4] |url-access=limited}}</ref>

The [[Screw (simple machine)|screw]], the last of the simple machines to be invented,<ref name="Woods">{{cite book |last=Woods |first=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E1tzW_aDnxsC&pg=PA58 |title=Ancient Machines: From Wedges to Waterwheels |author2=Mary B. Woods |publisher=Twenty-First Century Books |year=2000 |isbn=0-8225-2994-7 |location=USA |pages=58 |access-date=2022-08-29 |archive-date=2020-01-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200104003216/https://books.google.com/books?id=E1tzW_aDnxsC&pg=PA58 |url-status=live }}</ref> first appeared in Mesopotamia during the [[Neo-Assyrian]] period (911–609 BC).<ref name="Eisenbrauns" /> The Assyrian King [[Sennacherib]] (704–681&nbsp;BC) claims to have invented automatic sluices and to have been the first to use water [[screw pump]]s, of up to 30 tons weight, which were cast using two-part clay molds rather than by the '[[Lost-wax casting|lost wax]]' process.<ref name="Dalley2013">S Dalley, ''The Mystery of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon'', Oxford University Press(2013)</ref> The Jerwan Aqueduct ({{circa|688&nbsp;BC)}} is made with stone arches and lined with waterproof concrete.<ref>T Jacobsen and S Lloyd, ''Sennacherib's Aqueduct at Jerwan'', Chicago University Press, (1935)</ref> The earliest evidence of [[water wheel]]s and [[watermill]]s date back to the [[ancient Near East]] in the 4th century BC,<ref>Terry S. Reynolds, ''Stronger than a Hundred Men: A History of the Vertical Water Wheel'', JHU Press, 2002 {{ISBN|0-8018-7248-0}}, p. 14</ref> specifically in the [[Persian Empire]] before 350&nbsp;BC, in the regions of Mesopotamia (Iraq) and [[Persia]] (Iran).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Selin |first1=Helaine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GzjpCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA282 |title=Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Westen Cultures |date=2013 |publisher=[[Springer Science & Business Media]] |isbn=9789401714167 |page=282 |access-date=2022-08-29 |archive-date=2022-04-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409225100/https://books.google.com/books?id=GzjpCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA282 |url-status=live }}</ref> This pioneering use of [[water power]] constituted perhaps the first use of [[mechanical energy]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/waterwheel-engineering|title=Waterwheel &#124; History, Types & Uses|website=Britannica}}</ref>

[[Mechanics|Mechanical]] devices experienced a major expansion in their use in [[Ancient Greece]] and [[Ancient Rome]] with the systematic employment of new energy sources, especially [[waterwheel]]s. Their use expanded through the [[Dark Ages (historiography)|Dark Ages]] with the addition of [[windmill]]s.

=== Machine tools ===
[[Machine tool]]s occasioned a surge in producing new tools in the [[Industrial Revolution]]. Pre-industrial machinery was built by various craftsmen{{mdash}}[[millwright]]s built water and windmills, [[carpenter]]s made wooden framing, and smiths and turners made metal parts. Wooden components had the disadvantage of changing dimensions with temperature and humidity, and the various joints tended to rack (work loose) over time.  As the Industrial Revolution progressed, machines with metal parts and frames became more common.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Rolt |first=L.T.C. |title=A Short History of Machine Tools |publisher=MIT Press |year=1965 |isbn=9780262180139}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Allen |first=Robert C. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/981387269 |title=The Industrial Revolution: a very short introduction |date=2017 |isbn=978-0-19-178545-0 |location=[Oxford] |oclc=981387269}}</ref>

Other important uses of metal parts were in firearms and threaded fasteners, such as machine screws, bolts, and nuts. There was also the need for precision in making parts.  Precision would allow better working machinery, interchangeability of parts, and standardization of threaded fasteners. The demand for metal parts led to the development of several [[machine tool]]s. They have their origins in the tools developed in the 18th century by makers of clocks and watches and scientific instrument makers to enable them to batch-produce small mechanisms. Before the advent of machine tools, metal was worked manually using the basic hand tools of hammers, files, scrapers, saws, and chisels. Consequently, the use of metal machine parts was kept to a minimum.  Hand methods of production were very laborious and costly and precision was difficult to achieve.<ref name="Hounshell-1984">{{Hounshell1984}}</ref><ref name="Roe1916">{{citation |last=Roe |first=Joseph Wickham |title=English and American Tool Builders |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X-EJAAAAIAAJ |year=1916 |location=New Haven, Connecticut |publisher=Yale University Press |lccn=16011753}} Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 ({{LCCN|27024075}}); and by Lindsay Publications, Inc., Bradley, Illinois, ({{ISBN|978-0-917914-73-7}}).</ref> With their inherent precision, machine tools enabled the economical production of [[interchangeable parts]].<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Kohlmaier |first1=Georg |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/27334646 |title=Houses of glass: a nineteenth-century building type |last2=von Santory |first2=Barna |date=1990 |publisher=MIT Press |isbn=0-262-61070-1 |edition=1st |location=Cambridge, Mass. |oclc=27334646}}</ref>

Examples of machine tools include:<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" />

{{Div col|colwidth=27em}}
* [[Broach (metalwork)|Broaching machine]]
* [[Drill press]]
* [[Gear shaper]]
* [[Hobbing machine]]
* [[Honing (metalworking)|Hone]]
* [[Lathe (tool)|Lathe]]
* [[Screw machine (automatic lathe)|Screw machines]]
* [[Milling machine]]
* [[Shear (sheet metal)]]
* [[Shaper]]
* [[Bandsaw]]
* [[Planer (metalworking)|Planer]]
* [[Stewart platform]] mills
* [[Grinding machine]]s
{{Div col end}}Advocates of [[nanotechnology]] expect a similar surge as tools become microscopic in size.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Whelan |first=David |date=2012-10-25 |title=Nanotechnology: Big Potential In Tiny Particles - Forbes.com |url=http://www.forbes.com/2004/01/28/cx_dw_0129pollnanotechmidas04_xyz.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025003855/http://www.forbes.com/2004/01/28/cx_dw_0129pollnanotechmidas04_xyz.html |archive-date=2012-10-25 |access-date=2021-01-27 |website=[[Forbes]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Arabe |first=Katrina C. |title=Will this Tiny Science Usher in the Next Industrial Revolution? |url=https://www.thomasnet.com/insights/imt/2004/03/16/will_this_tiny/?t=archive |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224030754/https://www.thomasnet.com/insights/imt/2004/03/16/will_this_tiny/?t=archive |archive-date=2021-02-24 |access-date=2021-01-27 |website=www.thomasnet.com}}</ref>

==Types==
One can classify tools according to their basic functions:
* [[Cutting]] and edge tools, such as the [[knife]], [[sickle]], [[scythe]], [[hatchet]], and [[axe]], are wedge-shaped implements that produce a [[Shear stress|shearing force]] along a narrow face. Ideally, the edge of the tool needs to be [[Hardness|harder]] than the material being cut or the blade will become dulled with repeated use. But even resilient tools will require periodic [[sharpening]], which is the process of removing deformation wear from the edge. Other examples of cutting tools include [[Gouge (chisel)|gouges]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://woodcarvingillustrated.com/blog/2017/09/04/great-gouges-essential-tool-kit/|title=Great Gouges: the Essential Tool Kit|work=Woodcarving Illustrated |date=September 4, 2017}}</ref> and [[drill bit]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theengineerspost.com/cutting-tools-types/|title=Different Types of Cutting Tools & Their Uses [Names & PDF]|first=Saif|last=M|date=April 12, 2023|website=The Engineers Post}}</ref>
* Moving tools move large and tiny items. Many are [[lever]]s which give the user a [[mechanical advantage]]. Examples of force-concentrating tools include the [[hammer]] which moves a nail or the [[Post maul|maul]] which moves a stake. These operate by applying [[compression (physical)|physical compression]] to a surface. In the case of the [[screwdriver]], the force is rotational and called [[torque]]. By contrast, an [[anvil]] concentrates force on an object being hammered by ''preventing'' it from moving away when struck. [[Writing implement]]s deliver a fluid to a surface via compression to activate the ink cartridge. Grabbing and twisting nuts and bolts with [[pliers]], a glove, a [[wrench]], etc. likewise move items by applying torque (rotational force).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://myautomachine.com/the-dos-and-donts-of-using-a-torque-wrench/|title=The Dos And Don'ts Of Using A Torque Wrench|work=My Auto Machine|date=April 27, 2023}}</ref>
* Tools that enact chemical changes, including temperature and ignition, such as [[lighter]]s and [[blowtorch]]es.
* Guiding, measuring and perception tools include the [[ruler]], [[glasses]], [[Square (tool)|square]], [[sensor]]s, [[straightedge]], [[theodolite]], [[microscope]], [[Computer monitor|monitor]], [[clock]], [[phone]], [[printer (computing)|printer]]
* Shaping tools, such as [[Molding (process)|molds]], [[Jig (tool)|jigs]], [[trowel]]s.
* Fastening tools, such as [[welder]]s, [[soldering iron]]s, [[rivet gun]]s, [[nail gun]]s, or [[glue gun]]s.
* Information and data manipulation tools, such as [[computer]]s, [[Integrated development environment|IDE]], [[spreadsheet]]s

Some tools may be combinations of other tools. An alarm-clock is for example a combination of a measuring tool (the clock) and a perception tool (the alarm). This enables the alarm-clock to be a tool that falls outside of all the categories mentioned above.

There is some debate on whether to consider protective gear items as tools, because they do not directly help perform work, just protect the worker like ordinary clothing. They do meet the general definition of tools and in many cases are necessary for the completion of the work. [[Personal protective equipment]] includes such items as [[glove]]s, [[safety glasses]], [[earplug|ear defenders]] and [[biohazard]] suits.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://safetyculture.com/topics/ppe-safety/|title=Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Safety|date=July 5, 2018|website=SafetyCulture}}</ref>

== Function ==
=== Tool substitution ===
Often, by design or coincidence, a tool may share key functional attributes with one or more other tools. In this case, some tools can substitute for other tools, either as a makeshift solution or as a matter of practical efficiency. "One tool does it all" is a motto of some importance for workers who cannot practically carry every specialized tool to the location of every work task, such as a carpenter who does not necessarily work in a shop all day and needs to do jobs in a customer's house. Tool substitution may be divided broadly into two classes: substitution "by-design", or "multi-purpose", and substitution as makeshift. Substitution "by-design" would be tools that are designed specifically to accomplish multiple tasks using only that one tool.

Substitution is "makeshift" when human ingenuity comes into play and a tool is used for an unintended purpose, such as using a long screwdriver to separate a cars control arm from a ball joint, instead of using a tuning fork. In many cases, the designed secondary functions of tools are not widely known. For example, many wood-cutting [[hand saws]] integrate a [[Square (tool)|square]] by incorporating a specially-shaped handle, that allows 90° and 45° angles to be marked by aligning the appropriate part of the handle with an edge, and scribing along the back edge of the saw. The latter is illustrated by the saying "All tools can be used as hammers". Nearly all tools can be used to function as a hammer,<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://toolstale.com/what-to-use-instead-of-a-hammer/|title=What to Use Instead of a Hammer: A Comprehensive Guide|date=September 19, 2023|website=toolstale.com}}</ref> even though few tools are intentionally designed for it and even fewer work as well as the original.
[[File:Bicycle multi-tool.JPG|thumb|Bicycle multi-tool]]
Tools are often used to substitute for many mechanical apparatuses, especially in older mechanical devices. In many cases a cheap tool could be used to occupy the place of a missing mechanical part. A window roller in a car could be replaced with [[pliers]]. A transmission shifter or ignition switch would be able to be replaced with a screwdriver. Again, these would be considered tools that are being used for their unintended purposes, substitution as makeshift. Tools such as a [[rotary tool]] would be considered the substitution "by-design", or "multi-purpose". This class of tools allows the use of one tool that has at least two different capabilities. "Multi-purpose" tools are basically multiple tools in one device/tool. Tools such as this are often power tools that come with many different attachments like a rotary tool does, so one could say that a power drill is a "multi-purpose" tool.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://powertools.reviews/what-are-the-best-accessories-and-attachments-to-enhance-the-functionality-of-a-power-drill/|title=What are the best accessories and attachments to enhance the functionality of a power drill? |work=PowerTools.reviews|date=August 20, 2023}}</ref>

===Multi-use tools===
{{main|Multi-tool}}
A multi-tool is a hand tool that incorporates several tools into a single, portable device; the [[Swiss Army knife]] represents one of the earliest examples.<ref>{{cite web |title=The History of Multi-Tools |url=https://gallantry.com/blogs/journal/the-history-of-multi-tools# |website=Gallantry |access-date=31 August 2023 |language=en-us |date=11 August 2016}}</ref> Other tools have a primary purpose but also incorporate other functionality – for example, [[lineman's pliers]] incorporate a gripper and cutter and are often used as a hammer;<ref name="auto"/> and some [[hand saw]]s incorporate a [[Square (tool)|square]] in the right-angle between the blade's dull edge and the saw's handle. This would also be the category of "multi-purpose" tools, since they are also multiple tools in one (multi-use and multi-purpose can be used interchangeably – compare [[hand axe]]). These types of tools were specifically made to catch the eye of many different craftsman who traveled to do their work. To these workers these types of tools were revolutionary because they were one tool or one device that could do several different things. With this new revolution of tools, the traveling craftsman would not have to carry so many tools with them to job sites, in that their space would be limited to the vehicle or to the beast of burden they were driving. Multi-use tools solve the problem of having to deal with many different tools.

==Use by other animals==
{{Main|Tool use by animals}}

Tool use by animals is a phenomenon in which an animal uses any kind of tool in order to achieve a goal such as acquiring food and water, [[Personal grooming|grooming]], defense, [[Animal communication|communication]], [[Play (activity)|recreation]] or [[Animal architecture|construction]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Shumaker |first1=Robert W. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1269071005 |title=Animal tool behavior: the use and manufacture of tools by animals |last2=Kristina R. |first2=Walkup |last3=Beck |first3=Benjamin |last4=Burghardt |first4=Gordon M. |date=2011 |publisher=JHU Press |isbn=978-1-4214-0128-7 |edition=2nd |location=Baltimore |oclc=1269071005 |access-date=2022-08-28 |archive-date=2022-08-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829130914/https://www.worldcat.org/title/1269071005 |url-status=live }}</ref> Originally thought to be a skill possessed only by [[human]]s, some tool use requires a sophisticated level of cognition.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Waal |first=F. B. M. de |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/947844682 |title=Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are? |date=2016 |publisher=Norton & Company |isbn=978-0-393-24619-3 |edition=1st |location=New York |oclc=947844682 |access-date=2022-08-28 |archive-date=2022-08-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829130913/https://www.worldcat.org/title/947844682 |url-status=live }}</ref> There is considerable discussion about the definition of what constitutes a tool and therefore which behaviours can be considered true examples of tool use.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/828424636 |title=Tool use in animals: cognition and ecology |date=2013 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-33647-6 |editor-last=Sanz |editor-first=Crickette Marie |location=Cambridge |oclc=828424636 |editor-last2=Call |editor-first2=Josep |editor-last3=Boesch |editor-first3=Cristophe |access-date=2022-08-28 |archive-date=2022-08-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829130915/https://www.worldcat.org/title/828424636 |url-status=live }}</ref> Observation has confirmed that [[Tool use by animals|a number of species can use tools]] including [[monkey]]s, [[ape]]s, [[elephant]]s, several birds, and [[sea otter]]s. Now the unique relationship of [[human]]s with tools is considered to be that we are the only species that uses tools to make ''other'' tools.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="CooperRobertson1997">{{Cite book |last1=Bjorklund |first1=David F. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jd8d-i13CnUC |title=International review of industrial and organizational psychology |last2=Bering |first2=Jesse M. |date=5 June 1997 |publisher=John Wiley and Sons |others=Robertson, Ivan T. |isbn=978-0-471-96111-6 |editor-last=Cooper, Cary L. |page=113 |chapter=Big brains, slow development and social complexity:The development and evolutionary origins of social cognition |access-date=10 July 2011 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jd8d-i13CnUC&pg=PA113 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106215654/https://books.google.com/books?id=Jd8d-i13CnUC |archive-date=6 January 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:A Bonobo at the San Diego Zoo "fishing" for termites.jpg|thumb|A [[Bonobo]] at the [[San Diego Zoo]] "fishing" for [[termite]]s]] [[Primates]] are well known for using tools for hunting or gathering food and water, cover for rain, and self-defense. Chimpanzees have often been the object of study in regard to their usage of tools, most famously by [[Jane Goodall]]; these animals are closely related to humans. Wild tool-use in other primates, especially among [[ape]]s and [[monkeys]], is considered relatively common, though its full extent remains poorly documented, as many primates in the wild are mainly only observed distantly or briefly when in their natural environments and living without human influence.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> Some novel tool-use by primates may arise in a localized or isolated manner within certain unique [[Animal culture|primate cultures]], being transmitted and practiced among socially connected primates through [[Cultural learning#In non-human animals|cultural learning]].<ref name=":1" /> Many famous researchers, such as [[Charles Darwin]] in his book ''[[The Descent of Man]]'', mentioned tool-use in [[monkey]]s (such as [[baboon]]s).<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Choe |first=Jae C. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1088561040 |title=Encyclopedia of animal behavior |date=2019 |publisher=Academic Press |isbn=978-0-12-813252-4 |edition=2nd |location=Amsterdam |oclc=1088561040 |access-date=2022-08-28 |archive-date=2022-08-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829130912/https://www.worldcat.org/title/1088561040 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Among other [[mammals]], both wild and captive [[elephant]]s are known to create tools using their trunks and feet, mainly for swatting flies, scratching, plugging up waterholes that they have dug (to close them up again so the water does not evaporate), and reaching food that is out of reach. Many other [[Social animals|social mammals]] particularly have been observed engaging in tool-use. A group of [[dolphin]]s in [[Shark Bay]] uses [[sea sponge]]s to protect their beaks while foraging. [[Sea otters]] will use rocks or other hard objects to dislodge food (such as [[abalone]]) and break open [[shellfish]]. Many or most mammals of the order [[Carnivora]] have been observed using tools, often to trap or break open the shells of prey, as well as for scratching.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />

[[Corvid]]s (such as [[crow]]s, [[Raven (bird)|ravens]] and [[Rook (bird)|rooks]]) are well known for their large brains (among [[birds]]) and tool use. [[New Caledonian crow]]s are among the only animals that create their own tools. They mainly manufacture probes out of twigs and wood (and sometimes metal wire) to catch or impale [[larva]]e. Tool use in some birds may be best exemplified in nest intricacy. [[Tailorbird]]s manufacture 'pouches' to make their nests in. Some birds, such as [[weaver bird]]s, build complex nests utilizing a diverse array of objects and materials, many of which are specifically chosen by certain birds for their unique qualities. [[Woodpecker finch]]es insert twigs into trees in order to catch or impale larvae. [[Parrots]] may use tools to wedge nuts so that they can crack open the outer shell of nuts without launching away the inner contents. Some birds take advantage of human activity, such as [[carrion crow]]s in Japan, which drop nuts in front of cars to crack them open.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />

Several species of [[fish]] use tools to hunt and crack open shellfish, extract food that is out of reach, or clear an area for nesting. Among cephalopods (and perhaps uniquely or to an extent unobserved among [[invertebrates]]), [[octopus]]es are known to use tools relatively frequently, such as gathering coconut shells to create a shelter or using rocks to create barriers.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />

==Non-material usage==
By extension, [[concept]]s which support systematic or investigative thought are often referred to as "tools", for example Vanessa Dye refers to "tools of reflection" and "tools to help sharpen your professional practice" for trainee teachers,<ref name=dye>Dye, V. (2011) "Reflection, Reflection, Reflection. I’m thinking all the time, why do I need a theory or model of reflection?", in McGregor, D. and Cartwright, L. (eds.) ''Developing Reflective Practice: A guide for beginning teachers'', Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education, p. 217</ref> illustrating the connection between physical and conceptual tools by quoting the French scientist [[Claude Bernard|Claude Bernaud]]:{{blockquote|we must change [our ideas] when they have served their purpose, as we change a blunt [[lancet (surgery)|lancet]] that we have used long enough.<ref name=dye />}} Similarly, a [[decision-making]] process "developed to help women and their partners make confident and informed decisions when planning where to give birth" is described as a "Birth Choice tool":{{blockquote|The tool encourages women to consider out-of-hospital settings where appropriate,<ref>[[National Institute for Health and Care Excellence|National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence]], [https://www.nice.org.uk/sharedlearning/the-birth-choice-tool-from-which The Birth Choice tool from Which?], published March 2016, accessed 11 February 2023</ref>}} and the idea of a "toolkit" is used by the [[International Labour Organization]] to describe a set of processes applicable to improving global [[labour relations]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-06 |title=The ILO Industrial Relations Global Toolkit |url=http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/collective-bargaining-labour-relations/WCMS_843861/lang--en/index.htm |access-date=2023-03-11 |website=www.ilo.org |language=en}}</ref>

A telephone is a communication tool that interfaces between two people engaged in conversation at one level. It also interfaces between each user and the communication network at another level. It is in the domain of media and communications technology that a counter-intuitive aspect of our relationships with our tools first began to gain popular recognition. [[John M. Culkin]] famously said, "We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Culkin |first1=John |title=A Schoolman's Guide to Marshall McLuhan |journal=The Saturday Review |date=March 18, 1967 |pages=51–53}}</ref> One set of scholars expanded on this to say: "Humans create inspiring and empowering technologies but also are influenced, augmented, manipulated, and even imprisoned by technology".<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Hurme, Pertti  |author2=Jouhki, Jukka |title=We Shape Our Tools, and Thereafter Our Tools Shape Us |journal=Human Technology |date=2017 |volume=13 |issue=2 |page=145 |doi=10.17011/ht/urn.201711104209 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321443218 |access-date=20 January 2023|doi-access=free }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Antique tool]]
* [[Equipment]]
* [[Human factors and ergonomics]]
* [[List of timber framing tools]]
* [[Scientific instrument]]
* [[Tool and die maker]]
* [[Tool library]]
* [[ToolBank USA]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
* {{commons category-inline|Tools}}

{{Types of tools}}
{{Prehistoric technology}}
{{Technology topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Tools| ]]
[[Category:Industrial equipment]]