Final answer:
An artifact is a portable object created or modified by humans for a specific purpose, which can range from simple tools to advanced electronic components. These objects are integral to our material culture and reflect the progression of human knowledge, skills, and technology.
Step-by-step explanation:
A portable object manufactured, modified, or used by humans is known as an artifact. This term encompasses a wide array of items, ranging from everyday tools and devices to artistic creations and technological components. Artifacts are a part of our material culture and represent the knowledge, skills, and technology required to create them.
For instance, from the earliest human history, artifacts have included stone blades and axes; progressing through the ages to include pottery, beads, and eventually, leading to modern electronics like CD players and smartphones. These items are all objects made by people for specific purposes, showcasing the evolution of technology and engineering practices throughout time.
It's interesting to note that objects like trees, rocks, or microbes only become part of material culture when they are incorporated into human activity, such as apple trees in an orchard or engineered microbes in medicine. Thus, an artifact is distinct from natural objects as it constitutes a component of human creation or modification, exemplified in a wide array of forms from a simple hand-axe to the complex MOSFET component that powers modern electronics.