Abstract
The social constructivist approach to the development of technology is adopted to study the development of two ultracentrifuges which have emerged somewhat independently of each other. In a comparative analysis of these two cases, the socially constructed character of the artefacts is demonstrated: it is shown that the different designs of the two ultracentrifuges reflect the different meanings attributed to them by the researchers involved. Finally, two important aspects are identified which should play a role in theoretical explanations of the developmental process of technological artefacts.
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