,

Gennady Ivanov
FORMULAS OF CREATIVITY
OR HOW TO BECOME AN INVENTOR*

Translated from Russian by

Marija Dobrovolska-Stoian
Alexander Bykovsky
Jelena Volkova

In various Russian sources found translated as THE FORMULAS OF CREATIVITY OR HOW

TO LEARN TO INVENT
1

Questions and suggestions:

robert@adunka.de

The original russian edition written by Gennady Ivanov was published in 1994 in Russia
at the publishing house (Prosveschenije)
with the title ,
Copyright 2013 by Dr. Robert Adunka
Conditions of sale
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publisher.
All used pictures are made by the publisher. Used photocopies are not protected under
copyright law or other legislation governing the protection of intellectual property.
Translation: Marija Dobrovolska-Stoian, Alexander Bykovsky, Jelena Volkova
Editing: Dr. Robert Adunka, Alexander Munk
German publisher: Dr. Robert Adunka
Illustrations: Alexander Munk
Setting: Alexander Munk

CONTENTS
CONTENTS .................................................................................................................................. 3
AUTHORS INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 5
WHAT DOES HUMANKIND NEED CREATIVITY FOR? ............................................................. 7
TECHNOLOGY OF CREATIVITY .............................................................................................. 10
LOOKING FOR THE METHOD .................................................................................................. 14
SYSTEM ANALYSIS .................................................................................................................. 22
... AND START TO INVENT ....................................................................................................... 28
IN THE BEGINNING WAS A CONTRADICTION ....................................................................... 41
COMPETITION WITH CONTRADICTIONS ............................................................................... 56
INVENTIONS BY FORMULAS ................................................................................................... 67
GO AHEAD, STANDARTS ........................................................................................................ 79
EVERYTHING I HAVE IM CARRYING WITH ME .................................................................. 83
AT THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EDGE ........................................................................................... 87
LAWS OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE TECHNICAL SYSTEMS ................................................. 97
IN CHASE OF THE LIGHT ....................................................................................................... 119
MAIN STAGES OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TECHNICAL SYSTEM (Fragments) ..... 125
MYSTERIES OF AGES ............................................................................................................ 127
IN HARMONY WITH NATURE ................................................................................................. 140
INSTEAD OF CONCLUSION ................................................................................................... 150
HINTS ....................................................................................................................................... 152
SOLUTIONS ............................................................................................................................. 156
APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................... 163
RECOMMENDED LITERATURE ............................................................................................. 195

AUTHORS INTRODUCTION
Do you know how powerful a man can be?
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
This book is meant for those who want to become an inventor,
who is passionate about the world of technical creativity and
who strives to get to know it deeper. The aim of this book is to
help you develop your inventing skills.
The path to invention is hard, it is impossible to conquer it
without belief in ones own power, without knowledge that
humanity has been collecting throughout many centuries of its
history. At the dawn of human development inventors were
seen as gods or mythical heroes. Remember Prometheus,
Gennady Ivanov
Daedalus, Icarus and other heroes from the Ancient Greek
mythology, who invented fire and wings, tools for fishing, potters wheel, carpenters tools and
many other objects useful for human beings.
The powerful Heracles multiplied his fame by, putting it in modern language, using
hydrocleaning of dung in closed animal farming facilities. He led the roaring waters of the
nearby river into the terribly neglected Augeias horse stables and cleaned them out perfectly
within a few hours.
Still, the troop of these divine investors was small; it obviously didnt cope with all the growing
human needs. So the humans had to deal with divine things themselves. So humanity entered
the era of scientific and technological revolution by pushing a fire-breathing monster in front of it.
The world started changing rapidly getting filled by the smell of engine oil, machine and jet
airplane roaring.
People from the Middle Ages would be very surprised if they had a chance to walk down the
streets of a modern city. There would be exclamations of surprise just looking at an electric bulb
or talking on the phone to someone who is many hundreds or even thousands of kilometers
away. TV, radio, cinema, car, plane all this would be really hard to grasp for them. Yes, we
can do many things today. But our offsprings will hardly be able to explain many of our actions.
For instance, why do we destroy the most precious fossils coal or crude oil, burning them in
ovens in our homes or in various engines, while having an ocean of sun or cosmic energy, and
beneath us the boiling magma of the Earth. The biggest surprise will be probably caused by
our mismanagement of using the main energy of the Earth: the mental one. In our scientific and
technical actions to them we will look like children who are fumbling with a kaleidoscope, hoping
to find a new beautiful design.
Yes, we have changed many things but we havent dealt with the technology of creativity. We
are still looking for new things using the trial and error method, as we did hundred, thousand
and tens of thousands years ago. We are using approximately the same method as our
ancestor was looking for an appropriate stone for his club. He took it, tried it on, threw it away
and started looking for another one. Looking for something new we keep doing the same steps:
we take something, try it and throw it away. We take something again, try it
Such an approach to the search of the new cant be acceptable during the era of scientific and
technological progress as its connected with low effectiveness and a huge loss of time. Genrich
5

Saulovitch Altshuller (a.k.a. sci-fi writer G. Altov) was the first person in the world to discover
that the technology which is being created by humans for their needs, is not developing
randomly or according to the wishes of the most talented inventors but has certain rules and
objective laws which one has to know and apply. This thought was first formulated by Altshuller
more than 30 years ago. Later on the author developed these first statements into a number of
books and scientific papers. So the science about creativity was born, which was later called the
Theory of Inventive Problem Solving TRIZ.
Today a big pool of researchers are still developing TRIZ, finding new objective laws not just in
technical but also in biological, social, art and other systems. Based on all this a General Theory
of Powerful Thinking can be created.
Thanks to TRIZ it became possible to source many creative elements out to machines. In the
Minsk laboratory guided by V. M. Tsurikov an Inventing Machine was created which multiplies
the human possibilities by hundreds of times. And this is just the beginning, just the first steps
towards a creative revolution which is brought by TRIZ.
The production of material goods requires the production of new ideas in the first place. This is
why TRIZ is being taught at many hundreds of schools in Russia. As a result creativity stops
being the skill of the few. Having mastered the basics of TRIZ, practically anybody can become
an inventor.
This book is dedicated to this topic. The examples mentioned here are real tasks, many of them
were solved by the author, who in the past has never thought about inventing, and by his friends
and colleagues, neither of whom were born as Edisons.
Besides, tasks were included into this book, which were solved by pupils aged 13-14, many of
whom have later become real inventors. There are regular children who have mastered the
methods of creative thinking and so entered a new and wonderful world. They felt that they can
change the world for the better and participate in empowering the scientific and technological
progress. Mainly this book contains tasks which have been solved by the members of the
Young Inventors Workshop Impulse which I had guided for many years in Angarsk. Workshop
members have won numerous prizes at inventing contests; have made real, adult, officially
registered inventions.
Unfortunately the volume of this book did not allow the author to include many interesting
sections of TRIZ in it. Many laws of development of technical systems and TRIZ theses have
remained unexplained. A little comforting may sound the words of the ancient philosopher
Socrates regarding his first getting to know a new science, What I managed to learn is great. I
think, so is what I still have to learn.
Answers to many questions related to theory and practice of the inventing art, you can find in
the literature that is listed in the end of this book.
The author will consider his task fulfilled, if you will become interested in inventing and will wish
to participate in the technological progress.
Finally, I would like to express my sincere acknowledgement to the wonderful person who
dedicated his life to exploring the laws of creative thinking, who opened new horizons of
possibilities to the humanity, the author of TRIZ Genrich Saulovitch Altshuller.
I would also like to say a sincere thank you to my friends and colleagues: M K. Bdulenko, A. A.
Bystritsky, I. M. Vertkin, V. I. Volosyany, I. B. Buhman, M. I. Deniskin, S. I. Ivanovksky, B. L.
Zlotin, A. N. Limarenko, S. S. Litvin, A. B. Selyutsky, A. Sayfutdinov, Y. P. Salamatov, K. A.
Sklobovsky, A. I. Tyutrin, M. I. Sharapov and many others whose help has determined the
appearance of this book significantly.

WHAT DOES HUMANKIND NEED CREATIVITY FOR?

The human has been obviously created to think:
this is his quality, his whole credit;
his duty is in right thinking...
Blaise Pascal
For more than two hundred millions of years the Sun has been moving around the center of the
Galaxy. This is the so-called galaxy year. Just a year ago was the Mesozoic era, the Age of
Reptiles. The history of humankind consists of less than two days. A regular human life lasts
only a few seconds, using these measures. What can one manage during these seconds,
even galactic ones?
Lets look back just a few decades ago. We will be surprised to find out that our ancestors didnt
have planes or helicopters, satellites or hydropower stations. There was no radio, TV, phone,
CD-player or nylon and many thousands of things that surround us today and which we cannot
imagine out of our life. Moreover, according to the theory of unity of the living and lifeless in
nature, formulated by academician V. I. Vernadsky, the biosphere around us is changing its
quality to get a new state, noosphere, under the influence of human social and scientific activity.
V. I. Vernadsky underlines, The human being has understood for the first time, really, that he is
an inhabitant of the planet and can and should think and act in the new aspect, not just in the
aspect of a singular person, family, community, state or their unity, but also in the planetary
aspect.
Cognizing the laws of nature and using them sensibly, the human being is becoming the biggest
nature forming power which can be compared to geological processes. He brings new kinds of
substance and energy exchange into nature, exploring the space, and is involved into things
happening in it.
Maybe there is some kind of goal on Earth, which humanity is striving for, which consists only
in endless movement towards the goal, so to say, in life itselfwrote F. Dostoyevsky more than
100 years ago. Yes, our life is a never ending search, indeed.
The human being seems to be permanently busy with changing something, improving
something. Why does he need it for? Which power forces him to get rid of the old, used and
tested? Why cant we rest after weve fixed something ones and have a calm, peaceful life
without hectics, just living the time weve got? Unfortunately it doesnt work. Nature wouldnt let
us have such a way of life. Why?
Psychologists have made an interesting experiment. Lab rats were put into a big compound.
There they had plenty of everything and didnt have to search for anything. After some time the
rats got nervous. The most active ones started looking at the narrow, dark corridor next to the
compound. This compound led into an empty room with metal floor which had some live wires.
The rats squeezed themselves through the narrow corridor, their fur stood on end, they
panicked and ran out the room scared of the noise, but then they came back. What brought
them to this room? Search activity!
Its interesting to know that those rats who survived the longest in this paradise colony, were
the most curious, who went several times to the scary, dark corridor. On the opposite, those rats,
who just enjoyed their comfortable life, didnt leave the compound, soon lost every activity, got
fat and died.
7

The human search activity is much more versatile and rich in content that that of animals, as for
the human it has a higher value. From the biologic point of view its not important where the
human will show his search activity in music, science, literature, technics, social field,
household etc. Its only important that this activity is present and would be developed up to a
creative level.
Creativity is not just luxury for the few, its a biological necessity, often remaining unrealized.
Its a fact that people who have no interest in their work or studies, who are not passionate
about anything, who avoid solving problems including creative elements, are sick more often,
get old faster and die sooner.
Even in extreme conditions humans are supposed to do the same kind of things: look for an aim,
set a task and solve it. Remember Jack Londons short story, Love of Life. A hungry,
physically exhausted and almost frozen human keeps setting some concrete task to himself
reach the next hill, catch a quail, conquer some more meters. He solves plenty of tasks, difficult
for his situation, which need a huge amount of imagination. And he wins life.
Its been known that a human needs for usual life activity positive emotions to outnumber the
negative ones. Creativity in any field of action, but especially in invention, is one of the most
powerful and unquenchable source of positive emotions.
What happens if a person cant, or, which hardly ever happens, doesnt want to find elements of
creativity in his life, in his work? Such people reach the thought of the dominance of evil in life
and the futility of all human effort. This is the way of nature to punish those who dont use their
mind for the purpose intended.
How does creative work influence the development of the society as a whole? Lets assume that
year to year or even day to day we will lessen the volume of our creative ambitions. The formula
is simple: Im a tiny human being; I dont need much the less, the better. Graphically we
could visualize is as a number of circles, the radii of which would symbolize the shrinking
creative activity but the surface of the circles the shrinking contact area with the environment,
where life demands creative work.

So, if with time the radius of creative work is shrinking, so does the length of the circle, and,
along with it, the amount of tasks which have to be solved. The activity of the human is getting
simpler, he degrades and moves on to the way of life of primitive animals. Finally, the human
turns into a unicellular creature, for instance, an amoeba, which, following the same principle, is
getting more and more primitive until it turns into a nonliving molecule. There is nothing more to
solve, no more questions! But there is also no life...
Lets consider a second variant, where the radius of creative work is neither growing nor
shrinking. Everything stays as it is. We dont change anything. We live as we used to live ten,
hundred, thousand and tens of thousands of years ago. The formula is as follows: This is the
way our ancestors and their ancestors used to live, thats why Im going to live like this as well.
Generation to generation the tasks are the same, the solutions are the same as well. The

irritants repeat themselves and produce reflectory actions, after that innate instincts appear.
Creativity disappears completely. Is it good or bad?

Its good, because there is no new energetic input, its enough to listen to ones instincts, the
inner voice and everything will be okay. This is the way of life of most animals. The birds build
extremely complicated nests, the spiders produce nets, the beauty and strength of which
fascinate the scientific world. In fact, so do we do a part of our actions unconsciously, by inertia.
Its also bad, because the nature around us is not stable. With time the climate on Earth is
changing, the rivers, lakes, seas disappear, others appear.
The atmosphere, the flora, fauna are changing. The whole world is changing. What about us?
Even a microbe changes its population if the environment has changed. The disappearing of
thousands of animal species who have been recorded in the Red List can be explained by the
fact only that they havent been able to adjust the changes.
Can the human being afford such a tiny security of his existence? We cant, of course. As Lewis
Carroll remarked in his Alice in Wonderland, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the
same place. This constantly growing run, known today as the scientific technical revolution,
appears to be the only method of further existence for society and raising its resilience.
So, out of the three ways of existence offered for humankind, only one is valid: growing search
activity, multiplying knowledge and creative skills. If we want to live, hence, we have to learn
doing it, faster, than the changes in nature take place. Graphically all the offered variants are
presented in illustrations.
The later in time, the larger radius we should have to be able to answer more and more
questions. The creative way of life is not a privilege of individuals, its the only way of normal
existence and development for our society.

TECHNOLOGY OF CREATIVITY
Id rather not even think of finding
any kind of truth than doing it
without any method.
Ren Descartes

WHY DO WE INVENT BADLY

Most probably youve been noticing that any work you had to do in most cases was done
according to an elaborate plan, according to a certain technology the rules of action. Breaking
these rules leads to failure or causes additional trouble.
This is the way everybody works. A stove-setter will make a plan in his mind, before building the
oven: he will make a plan of actions, from preparing the bricks and mortar and up to the very
last stroke of paint when finishing the surface.
A surgeon will go over the whole operation in his mind, before starting it from the very first cut
to the final stitching.
The turner, making a piece, works according to a tool layout where the speed of the horizontal
and vertical saddle feed are mentioned, rotation frequency of the spindle, the type of the knife
and many more details which have to be known in order to produce a qualitative piece.
Even if you are planning to go to the cinema, you do it according to a certain technology. You
plan the departure time from home, you think through the way to the cinema, you pick a way of
transportation on foot, by bus, tram, and, at last, you count the money will it be enough for
the ticket? If just one of these actions doesnt match the final goal, the trip to the cinema has to
be postponed.
So, technology is a ladder to the goal set. Without it no work in the world is getting done! Good
or bad, some kind of technology has to be there, otherwise any activity, any work is getting
useless.
Does an inventor have a technology? Until recently it was difficult to answer this question. The
classical literature bears the image of an inventor, pale, exhausted by endless searches and
back-breaking work. Every time he had to start from the unknown, he made hundreds and
thousands of trials but was never sure that hes doing the right thing and that the work done will
lead him to success. Why? Mainly because he didnt have any kind of technology. What has to
be done first, what comes next it was unknown. Everything was decided by chance and
persistence of the inventor who kept searching for this lucky chance. The inventor, hardworking
as a bee, kept browsing through the possible variants, hoping, that at some point he will
succeed in something.
Of course, along with acquiring knowledge, the human being was able to connect different
elements with each other in a meaningful way, but the technology of creating inventions was still
unknown.

10

STAKE ON CHANCE
The British chemist Ch. Macintosh happened to spill a bottle of a fluid in his lab he spilled
some fluid solvent-naphtha on a piece of dried natural rubber. He noticed that the hard
rubber became soft as fresh dough. So he had an assumption: if it would be possible to
impregnate cloth with it, it would become waterproof. So waterproof raincoats were invented,
along with waterproof shoes and many other things which became wildly popular very soon.
Unfortunately, natural rubber cracked in frost and melted from heat. It was necessary to remove
these defects. Hundreds of experiments passed. And again, a lucky change helped, but a
different inventor this time.
In 1839 C. Goodyear was making another experiment and dropped a piece of rubber and a
piece of sulphur on a hot stove. The rubber and the sulphur melted together into a new elastic
substance which didnt crack in frost or melt in high temperature. So the method of rubber
vulcanization was invented which has been applied producing commodities and household
goods.
The engineer Samuel Brown was lying under a tree, thinking over the construction of a new
bridge, which would be lighter than any of the existing ones but more solid. Suddenly he saw
a spider net between the tree branches. That was exactly what he was looking for! So the idea
of a hanging bridge appeared.
The Dutchman Z. Janssen, an opticist, had polished one of his lenses and decided to look at its
surface using another magnifying lense. By accident he looked through the two lenses onto a
church tower far away. He was overwhelmed. It seemed that the church tower was right before
his eyes, he could see every tiny detail. So the idea of a telescope was born.
The French physicist Antoine Becquerel discovered radioactivity after having found a lightstruck photoplate which happened to be next to uranic salt.

Macintosh

Jannsen

Becquerel

In 1870 A. Marillet invented the chemical cleaning of fabrics. It happened after he pulled a dirty
suit out of a barrel with terpentine where it had fallen into by accident.
Owen Richardson spilled by accident some hydric dioxide on a goose feather which turned
colourless. So the method was invented how a brunette could become a blonde quickly.

11

The Frenchman Bernard Courtois invented iod accidently in 1811.

The alchemist Barned discovered phosphorus accidently in 1674, while actually looking for the
Philosophers Stone and experimenting with human hair.
Also accidentally were invented penicillin, steel concrete, X-rays, the method of spark machining
and many more.
The world is full of lucky chances! But to make sure that the chance happens, its necessary that
it happens to a person whos prepared, in the exact right moment when hes solving a task,
fitting the case.
Too many unclear circumstances to talk about a concrete technology of search. Only one
thought appears: in order to maximize the possibility of meeting the right chance, its necessary
to maximize the amount of ones actions, experiments and trials.

THE RIGHT TO MAKE MISTAKES

Probably its the oldest method of creating technical systems and devices. This method was
already used by our far ancestor who tried to tie a fitting stone to his stick.
This method is fairly simple and secure you take it, try it, throw it away. Again and again. This
is the way people used to work hundred years ago and hundred thousands years ago. The trial
and error method is today probably the most widespread among inventors and innovators.
Every day about 500 technical solutions are being patented and just a small part of them, not
more than 10-15 per cent, are implemented in practice. The rest is something like information
noise, i.e. these solutions will never be implemented, these are the splashes of chance,
garbage left from human intellectual activity according to the trial and error method. Its been
found out that in order to make even one middle-level-invention using this method, itd take
many hundreds or even thousands of trials. This is probably the reason why the saying
appeared: Talent is 99 per cent of sweat and 1 per cent of luck.

patents

products

Patent
500

---- --------------------

50 - 75

Thats right, a talented inventor manages to go through tens or even hundreds of variants, in his
mind, really quickly. This is hard and exhausting work, not many are able to do it physically. So,
what shall we do?

12

The luminary inventor A. Edison had a whole

institute of experimentalists, who, for example,
made many thousands of trials looking for the right
material for the glowing filament for the electric
bulb, testing all the available materials. They used
the known metals and composites, carbonized
fibres from silk, wool, Bristol board, paper and
even human hair. Edison sent his employees to
Brazil, China, Japan and other countries, to search
and collect different kinds of plants, for example,
bamboo. As trials showed, carbonized sticks made
from some kinds of bamboo, worked quite well as
glowing filament.
Edison got several dozens of patents to different
kinds of glowing filaments for an electric bulb. But
the working efficiency of these lamps was still very
low. Only much later Edison discovered the reason
for it: oxygen that was left in the bulb after
removing the air from it, was oxidating the material
of the fibre and destroyed it. High-vacuum lamps
were produced or they were filled by inert gas. The
working efficiency of the lamps went up. Now it
Edison
was possible to make the glowing filament from
usual heat-resistant metals, which by that time have not been that rare anymore.
Edison and his employees had to make about 40.000 trials in order to get a more or less
functioning alkaline accumulator. That really were Herculean efforts.
Lets give proper respect to Edisons talent and ambitiousness. However? if the trial and error
method was tolerated in the beginning of the 20th Century, when the world of technics was just
being born, then now it has used its possibilities completely. It has been calculated that in order
to keep the speed of inventing activity, it would soon be necessary to put the whole population
of our planet to inventors desks.
Yes, trials are necessary, mistakes are unavoidable and we will always have the right to make
mistakes, but their amount in the world should get less, as humanity is getting more and more
adult. Otherwise wed have to leave the thought about the accelerating development of human
civilization by means of effective use of accumulated knowledge in inventions.

13

LOOKING FOR THE METHOD

A path of errors leads to great truths.
Paul Valery
The first one who had the thought about the necessity to improve the level of organization of
creative work, was probably the Ancient Greek hermit and philosopher Diogenes. Having no
laboratory, he chose a barrel as his refuge and staying there in complete isolation, he kept
thinking about the perfection of nature and the endlessness of the universe.
Unfortunately, we dont know whether Diogenes had any followers and whether living in a barrel
improves creative skills.
The Roman poet and philosopher Titus Lucretius Carus describes in his philosophical poem On
the Nature of Things the teachings of the Greek philosopher Epicurus who suggests creating
new objects by means of combining their parts. That was a significant step forward already, that
will create many sciences in the future, including combinatorics.
The famous Spanish scientist from the early Middle Ages, Raymundus Lullus, has created his
own method of acquiring the truth and described it in his work named The Ultimate General Art.
The main idea was that different notions were replaced by symbols which could be combined
and interpreted. For that Lullus had created a special machine that was made from a series of
discs, rotating on an axe with symbolic signs. After the discs were stopped, the matching
symbols were counted and the machine gave a pretty concrete answer to any problem.
Although the mechanization of mental work was complete, the method had not achieved
remarkable distribution. Lullus himself left to a desert and never stopped perfectioning his
device, for the rest of his life.
The first really applicable methods of activization of the human art process started appearing in
the late 1920ies. Brainstorming, the method of focal objects, morphological analysis, the method
of control questions, synectics, matrix method, integral method, associative method etc.
appeared.
There are more than 30 of their kind. Lets get to know several of the methods better.

THE METHOD OF BRAINSTORMING

This is the oldest method. Vikings have used it already, solving their problems. During their sea
expeditions the whole crew came together to look for advice, everyone could bring in his ideas.
First the boys and the apprentice seamen would talk and then the senior seamen and the others.
The captain had the last word and he was the one who made the decision.
The modern modification of brainstorming, the so called brain attack was offered by the
American marine officer A. Osborn, who was captain of a small cargo ship during the WW2.
Once, fearing the attack of German submarines, A. Osborn let the whole crew come together on
deck and asked everyone to express his opinion on how to protect an unarmed ship from tin fish.
Optimists are everywhere. A member of the crew suggested everyone to stand near the board
and, when the tin fish will be approaching the ship, everyone should blow against it. The tin fish
was then supposed to miss its aim. This time there was no chance to test this method of

14

protection in practice. The crew had a good laugh and left to their quarters. But A. Osborn found
the idea quite successful. He planted a ventilator on deck who created a powerful stream of
water and during one of their voyages he really succeeded by blowing a tin fish away from his
ship.
After the war A. Osborn started working on the detailed variant of the method. His book,
Applied Imagination, became the basis of many lectures in various universities, scientific
institutes and companies in the USA.
The point of brainstorming is to let go thoughts from the subconsciousness. According to
Freuds theory, guided consciousness is just a thin layer on the mass of unguided
subconscience. During brainstorming it is necessary to create conditions to unpack the
subconscience.

THE METHOD OF FOCAL OBJECTS

The point of the method is in placing the features of randomly chosen objects onto the object
which has to be improved.
Lets assume, you have to improve a toothbrush, using this method. You have to choose at
least 3-4 random objects (from a dictionary, catalogue, book, magazine). I picked the words
bell, candy and lamp. Lets make a list of these objects features.
Bell electric, school, clock, bicycle...
Candy caramel, chocolate, sweet, aromatic, vitamin...
Lamp desk, hanging, antibacterial...
Now lets try to connect the features we have to the object to be changed, in our mind at least
the toothbrush. What do we get? Using your imagination, you could think of a toothbrush that
calls you in the morning and asks you to use it, produces a pleasant flavour. You can also bite a
bit of the handle as its edible and has a lot of vitamins and is also antibacterial, i.e. it kills all the
harmful bacteria in your mouth.
Is it a good brush?

The method of focal objects doesnt guarantee that the result will be anything useful, but still it
makes the mind go loose and sometimes it leads to unexpected combinations. This method

15

helps your imagination improve but we cannot talk about any kind of direct or planned changing
of the object.
A variation of this method is the method of garland from chances and associations.

THE METHOD OF SYNECTICS

The most effective of the methods of psychological creativity activation created abroad is
synectics (offered by W. G. Gordon), which is the improved version of brainstorming.
During a synectical brainstorm criticism is allowed that helps develop and change the ideas
expressed. This brainstorm is lead by a constant group. Its members get used to working
together, dont fear criticism anymore and dont get offended if anyone refuses their suggestions.
In this method four kinds of analogies are introduced direct, symbolic, fantastic and personal.
Using direct analogy, the object observed is being compared to a more or less similar object in
nature or technics. For example, to improve the process of painting furniture the application of
direct analogy consists in looking at how minerals, flowers, birds are coloured etc., how paper is
being coloured, wallpaper, film footage, TV images etc.
Using symbolic analogy we have to formulate the phrase in a paradoxical way, summarizing the
point of the phenomenon. For example, solving a task about marble, the expression rainbow
permanency was found, as the polished marble (except the white one) is full of bright patterns
which remind of the rainbow, but the patterns are consistent.
Using fantastic analogy, we have to imagine fantastic tools or characters, which or who will be
doing what is needed in the task. For example, a road must be where a cars wheels touch it.
Using personal analogy (empathy) we can imagine that we are the object which we are talking
about in the task. For instance, in the example with painting furniture, we could imagine
ourselves being a white crow which wants to get painted. Or, if the gear transmission is being
improved, then imagine a gear wheel, which is rotating around its axis, placing the sides for the
adjacent gear wheel. It is necessary, in the truest sense of the word, to enter into the image of
this gear wheel to feel by yourself all its inconveniences or overloads. What gives such
transformation? It significantly reduces the inertness of thinking and allows considering the
problem from a new point of view.

16

MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
Morphological analysis is an example of a system approach in the field of invention. The method
was developed by the well-known Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky. Through this method he
succeeded to find a lot of original technical solutions in the rocket production in a relatively short
time.
For carrying out the morphological analysis the precise formulation of the task is necessary, and
regardless of the fact that in the original problem is describing only one specific system, all
possible systems with the similar structure are summarized and the answer to the more general
question is given in the end. For example, it is necessary to study the morphological character
of all types of vehicles and to offer a new efficient design of the device for transportation over
the snow a snowmobile.
The exact definition of the category of the involved systems (devices) can reveal the basic
characteristics or parameters that facilitate the search for new solutions. The morphological
features of the vehicle (snowmobile) may be functional parts of the snowmobile: A engine, B
propelling device, C cab support, D control, E back run, etc.
Each characteristic (parameter) has a certain number of different independent features. Thus,
the engines: A1 explosion engine, A2 gas turbine, A3 electric motor, A4 jet engine, etc.;
Propelling devices: B1 screw propeller, B2 caterpillars, B3 snowshoes, B4 iceblower,
B5 screw feeders, etc.
Cabins: C1 cab support on the snow, C2 on the engine, C3 on the propelling device, etc.
Concerning this problem in the matrix representation (morphological box) the most significant
parameters are recorded. For example, for a snowmobile the matrix will be:
(1, A2, 3, 4)
(B1, B2, B3, B4, B5)
(C1, C2, C3)
Possible combinations: A1, B3, C2 or A1, B2, C3, or A2, B1, C2 or A4, B4, C3, etc.
The matrix is symbolic form of the descriptions of the solutions. It gives an idea of all possible
construction diagrams of the snowmobile by fixing one element in each row of the matrix. A set
of these elements will represent the possible version of the original problem. Considering the
different combinations of these elements, you can get a great combination of all possible
alternate solutions, including the most unexpected. Thus, the morphological matrix for jet
engines, running on chemical fuel, built by F. Zwicky, contained 576 possible solutions.
Critical stage of the method evaluation of possible solutions arising from the morphological
structure of the matrix. The versions are compared by one or several indicators that are the
most important for this technical system.

METHOD OF CONTROL QUESTIONS

This method allows generating the new ideas and solutions, stimulating them with leading
questions. It is used in the form of a monologue, addressed to yourself, or the dialogue of
inventors.

17

As a matter of fact, it is an improved version of the method of trial and error, as each question is
a kind of trial (a series of trials) with one difference: it is easier and faster to cover an initial field
of options using the list of the questions.
The authors select from the inventive experience the issues that provide the advantages of the
method of control questions over the usual method of trial and error.
One of the most comprehensive and successful lists of the control questions belongs to the
British inventor T. Eiloart. For example:
-

To find out the opinion of some people, who know nothing about this issue (i.e., to avoid
the psychological inertness);

To arrange a mussy group discussion, listening to every idea without any criticism;

To test the national solution: a clever Scottish, comprehensive German, wasteful

American, complicated Chinese, etc.;

To present the fantastic, biological, economic, chemical and other analogues.

Questions in such a system allow the better seeing of the characteristic of object that is being
improved, but how to change it they dont suggest it unfortunately.
So, you have learned the several techniques of the search for the technical solutions.
You can get more information in the popular and professional literature [18]. The multiplicity of
the methods is explained by the insufficient effectiveness of each of them. In fact they are only
the modifications of the method of trial and error, as they allow sorting a lot of versions in a unit
of time. But the world is infinitely diversified, and a combination even of a limited number of the
elements can be tens or hundreds of thousands.
The current status of the methods of creativity surprisingly reminds the situation, which was at
the rise of chemistry as a science. Hardworking alchemists, coming to know the world, found
many thousands of chemicals in it. How to make sense of them, how to organize and how to
remember them easily? Alchemists were completely confused, although they were offered tens
and hundreds of techniques. Actually, each alchemist had his own confidential method. But then
it turned out that they could not understand each other anymore... The order was established by
Mendeleev periodic table, which showed that there are only several dozens of major primary
elements, and the variety of substances is based on a combination of this limited number of
elements. This is the world of technology. We have already gone through the period of
alchemy and our own Mendeleev periodic table had to appear. It appeared a Theory of
Inventive Problem Solving TRIZ.

INTRODUCTION TO TRIZ, OR HOW TO INVENT

I remember an old fantastic story.
The vehicle of the earthlings touched the ground of the distant planet. The flight lasted three
years, and the tired crew was curiously glancing at the windows.
Next to the vehicle there were three amazing subjects. They were amazingly reminding the
ancient great grandmas boxes such iron-sided covers with clinches, shaggy painted sides
and huge padlocks. The crew surrounded the boxes and surprisingly started to look at them.
The commander contacted the Earth and reported the situation. Confused Mission Control
Center said that our great grandmas had never visited this planet and this situation was not

18

provided by any instruction. The commander was recommended to operate at his own
discretion.
Lets interrupt our story here and try to imagine ourselves in the position of this commander.
What would you do? Anyone who tried to solve this problem, gave the answers of almost the
same type. Many people were thinking that initially it was necessary to open a box and to look
what is there? Have you thought the same? But once the lock has been broken, the box started
to disappear, and soon has completely disappeared without a trace. Then only two boxes have
remained. What would you do in such situation?
Well, many of you will probably offer to take the boxes in the vehicle and send them to Earth.
But as soon as the crew started to lift the box to the vehicle, it suddenly was softened and
turned into a liquid, and flew down in the sand. The sample of the sand was quickly taken, but
there was found nothing besides quartz. So the last box remained. What would you do?
I am sure that now you took your time to think. And offer to examine more carefully the
appearance of the box, not touching it, to take pictures of it, to try to understand its peculiarities,
laws of the environment, etc.
This fantastic story ended with the explanation that these so-called boxes represented a form of
local life with the highest level of civilization. They came to the vehicle to explore the aliens and
to open their content and give all their knowledge if these aliens would appear to be sensible
beings. But, unfortunately, the earthlings did not have enough intelligence to avoid the idea that
someone might be smarter than them.
Do not we have the same attitude to the world around, believing that we have the right and
everything around belongs to us and we will decide how it will look like? The greatest misbelief
generated by the human egocentrism. By the way, all the previously mentioned methods have
this seal of egocentrism. Let's decipher the word. Egocentrism a man's attitude to itself as to
the center of the universe. In other words, it is the highest form of selfishness. Indeed, while
solving the problem, we first think about ourselves and are wrapped up in our thinking. We do
not care how do the changed systems live, which laws do they obey, how they are
interconnected. The real egocentrism!
Ignoring of the laws of the changed systems is the main cause of inefficiency of the known
techniques. Psychology as a science of the common factors and forms of the human mental
activity cannot help an inventor a lot, as it examines the changes in the inner world of a man, his
subjective feelings, not the changes of the objective natural elements.
Philosophers have determined a long time ago that the equipment is a modified element of
nature. Indeed, the first hoe, used by the human being, was a folded tree limb, which was
convenient for hoeing the soil in search of edible roots. The hoe was modifying, taking a form of
a shovel, and a convenient handle. And when the engine appeared, this turned into the
excavator a complex technical system.
And what about our home? Today it is a very complex set of mechanical, hydraulic, electrical
and other systems. But initially it was just a cave a natural element that was modified by the
man, who arranged a fireplace, and cut down the sleeping bench and steps, hanged the bedcurtains.
Turning tool was originally an ordinary knife, which was made of stone plates or of the teeth and
claws of predators, i.e. again from the natural elements. Such transformations were experienced
by clothing, crockery and instruments of labor, in general, everything that surrounds us today
and what we call the technical system. Additionally, we can say that the technique is also part of
the man himself, or rather a continuation of his organs. Taken stick is an extension of the

19

hand has helped to reach an apple that was hanging high on the tree. Stilts, skis, bicycle and
car wheels are the continuations of our feet, which make it easier to overcome the distance.
Hearing tool that was used by our forefathers, and now the phone, radio are our technical
ears that intercept the sounds of hundreds or thousands of miles away. TV is our eyes, brought
out to the area where there are some interesting events, etc. Consequently, the technical
system is not only the modified element of nature, but also a means of improving human
capabilities. As we can see, the objective and subjective concepts are closely interconnected,
forming a new, previously unknown world that lives and develops according to its own rules and
laws. The theory of inventive problem solving TRIZ is studying and using these laws. The
principles of TRIZ are simple and clear. They are easily understood, even by the elementary
school students. But behind that simplicity is the global experience of thousands of inventors.
Once there was held the competition between the processional designers and students from the
inventive circle Impulse (Angarsk), in which they learned the principles of TRIZ. Both teams
were offered the same task to design a greenhouse with automatic ventilation. Upon the rise
of the temperature the greenhouse had to produce the overheated air, and upon the decrease
of the temperature not to let the cold air. The team of grown-ups has developed their version:
the small windows of the greenhouse were connected through a complex system of heavers
and bowls with the homing station, which was powered by the signals of the data processing
machine and numerous temperature sensors located at various points of the greenhouse. It was
a difficult, expensive, but, according to the designers, the only option of the greenhouse with
automatic running-off of the heated-up air.
By then the scholars showed their drawings of the greenhouse. There were no mechanisms in
their greenhouse, there was no data processing machines and numerous temperature sensors.
On the contrary, it has become easier, even the small windows for ventilation disappeared.
-

But how is this greenhouse ventilated? quizzically asked the elder of the designers.

The greenhouse by itself, when necessary, vents the overheated air and does not let the
cold air, replied the student, one of the project authors.

Indeed, the roof of the greenhouse was made of special transparent porous film, which
unclosed its pores when heated and vented the hot air, and closed the pores when cooled,
keeping the warm. It's like human skin, which pores enlarge in hot weather and compress when
it's cold. Modern chemistry makes it possible to obtain such an artificial temperature-sensitive
material.

d (T)

20

Yes, the decision was beautiful and unexpected, so the competition was won by the young
inventors.
In this book you will find more than one solution and will go an exciting way with them from the
formulation of inventive problem to its solution.
What are the basic steps for the solution of an inventive problem according to TRIZ?
1. System analysis. Identification of the problem from the current situation and its gradual
specification through the root cause analysis until it is possible to detect the location of
prime cause the so-called operational zone.
2. Formulation of an ideal final result for the elements in the operational area.
3. Identification of the contradictions that prevent the achievement of the ideal solution.
Specification of the contradictions and analysis of their structure.
4. Resolution of the contradictions through the involvement of the laws of technical systems
and TRIZ decision tools.
The main TRIZ decision tools:
1. Information fund a set of heuristic methods of eliminating the technical contradictions,
the main principles of resolving the physical contradictions, analogues, physico-chemical
and geometrical effects.
2. Su-Field analysis, which considers the interaction and changes of substances and
energy (fields) in the system.
3. Standards on the basis of the su-field analysis that are indicating the specific ways of
restoring of the functioning of technical system in accordance with the laws of the
development of the technical systems.
4. Psychological statements are intended for the depression of the inertness of thinking
and the development of creative imagination.
You will learn in detail all these concepts in the sections of this book.
Additionally, TRIZ includes and effectively uses the algorithm of solution of inventive problems
ARIZ. This is a tool that organizes the thinking processes of the inventor in his search for new
technical solutions while involving the above-mentioned steps and tools. More details you can
find in the literature [4, 5, 6, 10, 14].
And now let's get acquainted with the specific sections of TRIZ.

21

SYSTEM ANALYSIS
While throwing stones into the water,
look at the circles formed by them,
otherwise it will be a useless fun.
Kozma Prutkov

INFINITY RANGES
How differently we are thinking while solving one and the same problem! Probably the Georgian
philosopher of the 2nd century Ioane Petritsi was right, when noticed: Every cognizer acts
accordingly to his essence.
For example, we should build a village house. Stove-setter will see the chimney, the carpenter
will see the roof, the glazier will see the windows, everyone pays attention on the subjects of his
specialization. Probably, it should be like that, if we are dealing with a familiar, repeatedly
performed work. But the creative work requires system thinking, which covers the interaction of
all systems at all levels.
Let's recall the works of the talented Lithuanian artist Ciurlionis. Most of his paintings are
performed, if we are able to find such an expression, in the three-dimensional space, although
in one plane. The sea in these paintings is presented to the viewer in the form of the large sea
drops located in the foreground, and then they are transformed into the bossom of the sea, and,
finally, the endless expanse of the distant ocean surface. Every such picture can be viewed for
hours, and it will always seem new as it is so multifaceted and systemic.
And what is the system in technology?
We can give such a definition. The system is a complex of organized in space and time and
interrelated elements that are necessary and sufficient for the performance of the required
function, which is defined by the person.
For example, an airplane it is a complex set consisting of the fuselage, wings, empennage,
engine, controlling tools, etc., which are interconnected and perform a single function to move
in the air. Is it a system? Of course!
And now let us continue the example in a purely relative context. Let us say that as a result of
one accident or crack-up the plane went into pieces in the air and its fragments fell on the
ground. Does it looks like a system? Of course not. These fragments are not already performing
the same function to fly. But for an expert, who visited the scene of an accident, the lying
fragments represent a system, which allows to identify the cause of the accident. Thus, the
system is identified by the person, depending on the necessary function.
It is difficult for us to understand or even to remember the spreading of some individual factors
or events. But if they make up a logically related plot, i.e., form a system and fulfill the function,
we can easily reproduce them at any time. For example, try to remember the following letters:
NUCETQHIE. Hard, and the main thing, it is difficult to understand, what for. But the same
letters that are arranged systematically and form the word TECHNIQUE, are easy to remember.
Our memory is perceiving easier the block concepts, so the effective thinking it is primarily a
system.

22

However, we should clearly understand that there is no isolated systems, neither in the nature,
not in the technique. Any one of them is a part of another system, called the supersystem is,
and that one, in turn, is itself a part of another, larger supersystem. This range is becoming
higher and broader, covering the horizonless areas of space. At the same time, any very small
system consists of a number of other, smaller systems, which are called subsystems. And this
way depthward, although narrowing, is also infinite and gets lost in the microcosm of the
substance. And still all systems are interconnected, and this connection becomes harder while
the deepening in the subsystem, and more free while achieving the supersystem. But the
interconnection of the systems never disappears completely.

SIGNS OF TALENT
When we talk about the inventor, it is often used a combination strong thinking. Then what is
the strong thinking? The author of the TRIZ theory G.S. Altshuller answers to this question in
the following way: Casual thinking, when a man sees only what is given in the problem. If the
task is, for example, associated with the tree, then a man sees only this tree. Strong thinking
when at least nine mental screens are working at the same time: a man sees the system that is
presented in this task, supersystem, subsystem three different stages. And every stage has
past, present and future. So you should see not only the tree, but also the forest and the tree
cell. And all that is in the development: past, present and future.

Solving the problem, the inventor should simultaneously keep an eye on everything that is
associated or can be associated with it. Of course, this is a simplified scheme. In fact, as we
know, there are many stages up and down from the concerned system, a lot of screens
(systems) to the left (distant past) and to the right (distant future). While solving the inventive
tasks by trial and error method, one can only accidentally, unconsciously use this type of
thinking. But the intuition plays false with us much more often than it is used to say.
Multiscreen way of thinking should become a norm of the inventor, the working scheme, built in
the light of the development of technical systems. Let us illustrate this situation with small
examples. For example, you are involved in the design of one of the astronaut's life support
systems. This system includes a quartz crystal resonator, which looks like a miniature plate,

23

which generates and maintains the necessary signals at the certain level. Your task is to design
a special capacity for this resonator, where would be always, in all circumstances, maintained
the same temperature. The resonator is very sensitive to the temperature fluctuations, therefore
it needs a special protection.
You begin to study the temperature stabilization system. There is a lot of literature and many
time tested good devices on this subject. Place the quartz plate in Dewar vessel with double
insulating walls, provide the internal heating system, monitoring unit, adjustment unit... Stop!
Our quartz resonator somehow became much more complex and heavyweight. From one plate
it turned into a heavy suitcase that should be carried by the astronaut. Something is wrong. It
happened because we were inspecting the system in isolation from the supersystem, to which it
belongs. And what is there? Does the supersystem have the sites, where the stable
temperature is maintained? Of course, this is the astronaut himself! The temperature of his body
is always 36,5. That is what we need!
Quartz resonator plate is necessary to put into the inner pocket of a suit of the astronaut and
the problem is solved. In addition, this solution has one more advantage: if the astronaut is sick,
i.e., he has the high temperature, the Earth will immediately know this as the frequency of
signals will change, and then the measures will be timely taken.
As we can see, the multiscreen way of thinking allows not only to find new solutions, but also to
make them more efficient. Once, during the process of construction, where something wrong is
always happening, has blown another problem. When the second floor has been already
finished and the rugged floor panels for heavy machines have been deposited, it became clear
that the autocrane that is maintaining the construction site and handling the pallets with bricks
can not reach the third floor. The construction process has stopped, it was necessary to wait for
the autocrane with the longer boom from the nearby construction site until it became free. If to
take it from there, then people will not be able to work there. The team was not working, abusing
of the obtuseness of the workers of the organization management department. The way out of
this situation was found by the foreman. At lunchtime he took the large autocrane and used it to
adjust his little autocrane on the house under construction. The whole operation took not more
than twenty minutes. The work on both sites continued.
What has allowed to find this solution? Systems thinking. The foreman saw not only his
autocrane, but also supersystem with its opportunities.
But this story has happened with the honored inventor from Magnitogorsk M.I. Sharapov. He
was put in to find the instrument for the prevention of the pipe's wear and tear, which is used for
the transportation of the acidiferous wastes. Sometimes it was necessary to change the pipes
already in several weeks as the acid was wearing the thickest walls through. The plant was
bearing the large loss. The institutions were designing different coatings, but they didn't help at
all.
The first thing that M.I. Sharapov has made he has analyzed the supersystem of dumping of
all wastes. He found the other pipe that was located very close and was used for the dumping of
alkaline wastes. This pipe, as distinct from the acid, was incrusted so that it had to be cleaned
regularly. You have probably guessed, what the inventor has done? Of course, he has
connected the pipes cross shaped. Now, in each pipe the alkaline medium was flowing for one
week, and acid medium for another week. Alkali has formed the depositions, the acid has
removed them. And so on endlessly. Please, note that in both systems almost nothing has
changed, but the pipes became wear-free, they still are operating and do not require any repair.
The talented inventor should think systematically, globally, but to act locally and with low costs,
considering the future, past and present.

24

THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE

What does it mean to think about the future? Do you remember that Robinson Crusoe, having
made the decision to escape from his island, has cut down a huge tree and was hollowing out a
boat for several months. Finally, he made it, and only then realized that was not able to drag it
to the bank. So was standing his boat away from the bank, accusing its creator of a nonsystems thinking. But if Robinson had thought about the future problems, he would have
probably chosen another smaller tree or would have rolled over his preparation, until it was still
round, closer to the bank and there would have started to make a boat.
Let us remember one of the newspaper articles devoted to the exploration of the Moon. One of
the spacecrafts had to obtain a soil sample of the back side of the Moon, in its darkened area.
Therefore the ship was equipped with projector for illumination of the Moon area. The operator,
who was working on Earth, was observing the Moon's surface and gave the command to obtain
some soil samples.
The whole system was worked out and repeatedly tested under terrestrial conditions. There
were no doubts of the efficiency of the entire system. The only thing that bothered the designers,
was the mechanical stability of the lamp bulb of the projector. When the system was overloaded
the lamp bulb failed and broke at the bottom of it. They did not have time to design and test a
new bulb as they had only few days before the start of the complex.
They found a corresponding lamp of the tank projectors: they were more firmly carrying the
vibration and overload during acceleration, but were significantly heavier than the former.
Designers went to the general designer to coordinate their decision. Having found out what had
happened, he asked And why do you need the bulb in the lamp? To protect the glow plug
from the interaction with atmospheric oxygen, otherwise it will burn off quickly answered the
designers. But is there an air on the Moon? the general designer asked again. And then,
suddenly, it became clear how much extra work they have done, trying to find the right bulb for
the lamp.
That was a result of non-systems thinking, which, unfortunately, is very often present in our
actions. Thinking about the future means not to make mistakes in the present.

THINK ABOUT THE PRESENT

The threads of our lives, our actions and our problems are twisted in multielement cloth of the
surrounding world. Pulling one of them, we put in motion hundreds of others.
Everything is connected to everything. The ancients said: Touching the grass do not disturb the
star!
Indeed, if we destroy the vegetation on the Earth, it will change the quality and volume of the
Earth's gaseous atmosphere. The atmosphere is likely to be reduced, as the oxygen will
disappear that is produced by plants. We can say that the Earth's diameter will reduce, and thus
its speed of rotation will increase. Try to remember the rotating figure skater on the ice: the
pressing of hands to the body increases the speed of his rotation. That's why the overall
dynamics and motion trajectory of the Earth in space will change. And the near-by planets and
stars that are interacting with the Earth and the Sun will be forced to dislocate, to regroup, and
to balance the whole system. Truly touching the grass do not disturbing the star!
In this example this situation is intentionally dramatized to visually show the interconnection of
all elements, systems, including those in the technique that surround us. Any change of the

25

small part in any car brings the changes of all other parts in the supersystem and the
subsystem.
Everybody knows the wheeled tractors such as Belarus. This is a convenient, mobile and
multifunction machine in agriculture. It took several years to create of one of its models the
lightweight engine made of aluminium alloys. The engine was placed in the serial machine, and
then it turned out that the front wheels hold the road badly. Lightweight engine was unable to
press the wheels tightly to the ground by its weight, and while plowing the tractor in the truest
sense of this word kicked over the traces. It was necessary to place the range of iron weights
in front of the engine on the frame. What have you gained? Nothing. You have only complicated
the engine manufacturing technology and have made the entire tractor more expensive. This is
the result of non-systems thinking of the designers.
In general, as Bernard Shaw said, focused specialization in the broad sense of the word leads
to a wide idiocy in the narrow sense of the word.

THINK ABOUT THE PAST

And what does it mean to think about the past of the system? First of all is not to make mistakes
in the future. Let us show the example of the above mentioned.
Stationary marine drilling units present a platform that stands on three or four mounting supports,
fixed on the bottom of the sea. The platform is high enough raised above the sea level and
carries the drilling machines, diesel and compressor units, cabins for maintenance staff and all
other necessary equipment. These drilling units are more and more used in the northern seas.
But if they are working quite well in summer, in winter there is a lot of problems. The main
problem is the freezing of the platform and its mounting supports. Supercooled sea waves form
on the mounting supports the large-tonnage ice blocks that should be knocked down every day.
It is very difficult and dangerous job. In addition, the ice cover of the sea is constantly
breathing under the effect of tidal strengths, moving up and down. If it captures the mounting
supports of the platform the emergency situation is possible.
There was a competition for the best machine that would knock down the ice from the mounting
supports of the platform. There are a lot of constructions with crow-bars, rakes, scrapers and
other units. Some of them were even produced. Their only imperfection is the fact that they did
not work. The case is that the shearing units in the form of crow-bar were rapidly freezing and
uselessly crawling close to the mounting support.
And in one of the American patents it was offered to place around the platform and each of its
mounting supports the special machinery in the form of self-propelled rotary tiller. The unit was
supplied with powerful electric motors that rotated the giant rotary cutters that were surfacing
the ice. Although it was patented, but ugly, energy-consuming and complex solution of the
problem. It is known that the ice strength is almost identical to the concrete and to surface it the
enormous power will be necessary.
This task was investigated during one of the meetings of the circle of the young inventor
Impulse. At first all available solutions were considered and rejected, including an American
patent. Analyzing the proposed constructions, the guys came to the conclusion that they were
crushing the effects, not the cause. Thinking over the situation, one of the members of the
circle recalled that in early spring when the ice is thin, it is easy to break, and even better is not
to prevent its formation on the surface of the mounting support.

26

But for this purpose we need thermal energy. How can we receive it? It turns out that it is in
plenty in the supersystem. Diesel engines, standing on the platform and rotating the drill tool,
are uselessly releasing the tens of cubic meters of hot emissions into the air. It is necessary just
to lower the exhaust pipe into the water near the mounting support and the problem is solved.
The emissions, rising up, not only heat the mounting supports, but, also, while disappearing on
the surface of the water, are constantly mixing it, not giving the possibility for the monolithic ice
to be formed. Even if the ice is formed, it will be soaked with exhaust gases and will be a
completely harmless incoherent mass. And although as a result the engine power, standing on
the platform, is less, there is no doubt that the advantage is evident. Exactly this solution by
common consent has been formed as an application for an invention.
So, if you want to be an inventor, remember the following:
1. The world is a system and consists of a never-ending ranges of supersystems and
subsystems.
2. All systems are interconnected. A change in one of them leads to the change in all
others. Hardness (dependency) of the connections increases towards the subsystems
and decreases towards the supersystems.
3. Talented human thinking involves at least nine screens system, supersystem and
subsystem in the past, present and future. To see the system in the future means not to
make mistakes in the present. To see the system in the past means not to make
mistakes in the future.
4. While solving an inventive problem it is necessary to think globally, covering all systems
in space and time, and to act locally, with minimal spendings of the space and time.
And now the tasks for an independent decision.
Task 1. You are a librarian. You have hundreds of active readers, who regularly come to take
new books. The library building is old, and requires repair. It is necessary to move to a new
building, but you have neither cars to transport the books, nor the means to pay for the work of
dockers. What to do?
Task 2. You went fishing and had to stop on a country road, as the car got a flat. Common thing.
You unscrewed four screws that are fixing the wheel to the axle, and carefully laid them on the
side of the road and went to the trunk to take the spare wheel. At this moment the ton up boy,
avoiding you, came across the screws, throwing them around. How to find them in the grass?
Task 3. Once a downhill skiing trainer came to an inventor and asked for help. He was
preparing a new downhill training lane. According to international rules the surface of this lane
should be covered with a coating of ice. The lane is moistened with water. The trainer got a
pump, put it on the bank of the river, connected to the electrical line and stretched the flexible
tubing to the mountain. But the pump appeared to be underpowered, and the water did not rise
above the middle of the lane. Then the more powerful pump was arranged, but the water did not
reach the top of the lane again, as it was freezing in the flexible tubing before reaching its end.
Which advice would you give to the trainer?
Link to the hints

27

... AND START TO INVENT

Many things are not understandable for us,
not because our concepts are weak,
but because these concepts are
beyond the set of our concepts.
Kozma Prutkov
Who does not know
what harbor he is swimming to,
has no favorable wind.
Seneca

WAY TO THE IDEAL

(Law of Increasing the Degree of Ideality)
Those of you, who have visited the Polytechnic museum in Moscow, have certainly drew
attention to the Yablochkov candle. It was called Russian luminary around the world. It was
powerfully and evenly illuminating the streets of Paris and London, St. Petersburg and New
York. But Yablochkov was not the first who offered to use the arc lamp for illumination. Arc
lamps were illuminating also before him, but their light was unstable and capricious. Next to
each arc lamp was a servant, who from time to time brought together the ends of the carbon
rods that were arranged horizontally toward each other. There was necessary the mechanism of
electrode approach as they were burning, otherwise the arc was breaking off.
And this regulator appeared. It was a masterpiece of the design ideas, it was not easier than the
famous Kulibin's watch, but, unfortunately, was not so reliable.
Then what has Yablochkov done? He has simply set the electrodes so that... However, I will not
deprive you of a pleasure to find the solution by yourselves. Please, listen to such formulation of
the task: The electrodes themselves, without any complication of the system, do not allow the
increasing of the gap between their bodies and during the burning of the arc keep it constant
throughout the whole length.
It is likely that having read the task carefully many of you have already solved it. For clarity, I
recommend taking pencils-electrodes and trying to arrange them so that the gap between them
was the same throughout the whole length. Of course, they need to be arranged in parallel! So
Yablochkov did. Now, as the electrodes are burning, the gap between them is not increasing,
and always remains constant. No regulator of the electrode approach was necessary, the need
for it disappeared. To make the arc still not slipping along the electrode bodies down,
Yablochkov has filled the space between them with the ceramic fusing substance.
And now let us come back to the problems of our car century. We know how carefully the
traffic police pays attention to the condition of the wheels treads. This is understandable.
Wheels with worn treads are often the cause of the accident, as they hold the road badly and
increase the braking distance. Imagine that you have to offer such a wheel, which would alarm
that its tread is worn out completely. Lay the book aside for a moment and think about it.

28

Indeed, it is better to lay down under the tread a layer of bright colors. The outstanding bright
line along the tire will demonstrate the tread wear. And if to use the phosphorescent paint, the
wear will be visible in the dark.
And here's another problem: how to prevent the theft of books from the library. It would be very
good if the books were alarming by themselves that they are taken away from the library without
permission. Many of you will consider this desire empty. However, one of the British patents
proposed to insert into the back of the book the thin magnetic plate or to apply on the back the
paint with the magnetic grains. In this case, the book, which is taken away by the plotter, will
change the magnetic field strength in the doorway and the sensors will detect this change and
will set off an alarm. The book has saved itself! To take it away you will need to go back to the
librarian, he will put the book on a table-inductor, where it will be demagnetized and will allow
taking it away from the room.
Here is another example. In the United States was invented the rat-trap, which does not kill its
victim, but only puts on it a collar with a bell. With this gift the rat returns to its family and
causes a panic. In the result the other rats drive out the musician or go away from this house
by itselves. The rats drive itselves out.
Examples are enough to notice the common things in them and to make a definite conclusion. It
is hard to escape a conclusion that a technical system, being developed, aims to become safer,
more simply, more efficient, i.e., becomes more ideal.
It turns out that not only we, the people, want to eradicate our defects and to get closer to our
chosen ideal. Our technique also has the need to be improved.
What could be more powerful! we think, looking at the tipping truck that weighs 150 tonnes.
What could be faster! we say, looking at TU-154. What could be more difficult... and are
anxiously looking at the recently repaired color TV. Yes, the world of technics becomes more
complex. And it is not possible immediately to understand in which direction to go in order to
improve it even more. But everything in the world follows its own laws. The technical systems
also have them. We will talk about them later, but for now let us note only that one of the main
laws of any technical system is the law of increasing the degree of ideality. Without following
this law it is impossible to improve the technical system.
There may be a reasonable question: if the law of increasing the degree of ideality is so
important for the development of a technical system, how could we have managed without it?
How we were able to invent thousands of high-performance devices, not knowing about it? And
how the ancient people could have built so beautiful constructions, knowing nothing about the
building mechanics? How could they have built the fast sailing vessels, which we are admiring
today, without any knowledge of hydrodynamics and aerodynamics? It was a difficult and long
way of searches and decisions, of trial and error. The hundreds of ships had been constructed
until the desired shape was discovered, the thousands of buildings had been built until the
desired strength of the material and its laying method was found. Previously, the inventor knew
nothing about the law of increasing the degree of ideality, but that did not mean that he did not
obey it.
Let us recall the way of the inventor, who is using the trial and error method.
It looks as shown in the figure. Point A represents the initial position of the technical system that
needs to be improved. But how to do that? It is not known. One, two or three attempts are made.
However, the parameters of the technical system are not improving. We return to the initial
position and take a fourth, fifth or sixth attempt in this direction the result is the same. Finally,
the seventh attempt showed that technical system has significantly improved its characteristics,
and moved forward. We are at the point A1. For some time there is the successful exploitation of

29

this new machine, but as the needs increase the further improvement is necessary. There is a
series of new attempts 8, 9, 10. From every point there additional shots that are probing the
search field.

12
19

26

22

A2

17

23

A1

7
14
16

24

11

18

20

A3

21

10

13

A
4
5
15

25

Finally we are at the point 11, and have felt again that the machine has been significantly
improved it became easier, more simply, more reliable. We are at the point A2. There is a new
need for improvement, and we are experiencing the same sufferings of another series of trial
and error, until we move to the A3.
The scheme shows a small number of trial and error. In practice this number can reach
hundreds, thousands and tens of thousands. However, this scheme also shows that some
sections are arranged in one line. These sections 7 A1, 16- A2, 25 A3 are surprisingly similar
to each other and are turned into the same direction. There is the impression that we have from
time to time found a good way, which allowed achieving a rapid progress, and that some force
pulled us into one side. It really exists, that side, which is called the ideal of this technical
system. It is the goal of our machine, which is becoming lighter, more simple, more reliable.
Knowing about the existence of such an ideal, isn't it possible to radically change the work of
the inventor, that is, not to start from the beginning of the original task, but from its end with
the perfect solution?! Working in the modern way, we should firstly define the ideal of the
technical system, and only then deal with its changes. At the same time we allow only those
changes that move the technology closer to the chosen ideal. Then the empty fruitless attempts
fall down, and schedule of the inventor will appear as shown in the figure below.
We are aggressively and systematically approaching the selected ideal not departing to another
side. The ideal for us is like the North Star for the ship, which is running in the vast of the ocean,
and even if we do not reach the star, we will choose the correct direction on the Earth. In a
sense, the quality of the inventor's work can be assessed by his closeness to the ideal. The
greater is the distance to it, the more difficult is to take the machine from the Kuhlman drafting
board. And conversely, when the distance to the ideal is decreasing, it becomes easier, safer
and cheaper to produce a machine. The ideal is always associated with the maximum use of the
real and energy resources, existing in the system, subsystem, and supersystem. The ideality
of the solution depends on the full involvement of these resources.

30

12
19

26

22

A2

17

23

A1

7
14
16

24

11

18

20

A3

21

10

13

A
4
5
15

25

In fact, the most perfect solutions are made by nature. It does not have waste as such,
everything is used and involved in the never-ending processes.
And what will happen if we reach the ideal? The machine will disappear, but the work will be
performed. Remember, please, Yablochkov's regulator. The inventor should reach exactly such
invisible machine. But as they say: The plan was smooth on paper, only they forgot about the
ravines.
The way to an ideal is not an asphalt road, on which the inventor can walk, whistling a modern
song. Even though this way is a straight line in the plan, it is still chocked up with numerous
barriers, the main among them are: the administrative contradictions, technical contradictions,
physical contradictions. Art of the inventor is the ability to overcome these contradictions, i.e. the
barriers on the way to the ideal.

A3
Of course, this is a complex and difficult way, but it is the only possible if we want to qualitatively
improve the technical system. We are still expecting a detailed familiarity with all kinds of
contradictions and methods of overcoming them.
And now let's try to solve one sweet inventive problem. We all love candies. Their production
on the line is simple and resembles the production of meat dumplings. From above and below
are the sheets of caramel or chocolate, and between them is a solid filling. Candies are
produced from this pie. But then we have tasted the candy with raspberry syrup. How it got
there? Why it has not flown out? The syrup is watery, after all, and cannot be kept between the

31

sheets. You can, of course, pour the syrup into the full chocolate or caramel moulds, but it is
very a difficult and time consuming process. How can we solve this problem?
First, let us specify the problem. We have found that all our efforts should be focused on the
prevention of the spontaneous flowing-out of syrup. Let's try to imagine the desired ideal syrup.
This is syrup, which does not flow out, takes any form and may be preserved as long as we
need. But syrup is watery and cannot keep the desired shape! We have met a paradox, which is
called a contradiction by the inventors the syrup should be watery and should be hard. What
to do? To resolve this contradiction it is enough to have school knowledge. Can the liquid
properties be changed? Can it be hard? Of course! It should be just frozen. Here is the answer
to the problem. The syrup should be frozen in cubes, and then poured over with watery
chocolate. Inside the chocolate box the syrup will melt, and the candy is ready-made. That's it.
Is it a difficult task? Not really. However, it remained unsolved for quite a long time.
Now let's analyze a more difficult example, but here the idea of the ideal technical system will
be involved.
The flat, very thin and shiny discs arrive to the assembly line over the band conveyor. They
have a wet surface they are arriving immediately after washing, and their shape resemble the
ladies' mirrors. One side of the discs is mat the dark, the other side is shiny. The disks should
arrive to the assembly only with the shiny side up, but still there are inverse discs among them,
i.e. those that are turned up with the dark side. These are defective discs, and they should be
removed from the conveyor belt. It should be noted that the discs are not magnetic or
electrically conductive, the use of the photocell will not give a result it confuses the dark disk
with dark belt. The coefficients of friction of the both sides of the discs are exactly the same.
Additionally, the discs are afraid even of the touch of dust, so the use of any mechanical
droppers gripping devices is out of the question. In addition, the discs arrive to the belt in
random order. What to do? Lay aside the book for a while and think about it. If your thinking is
too long, do not worry you are not alone. It is really difficult to solve this problem by trial and
error method. Even the professional designers have refused to solve it for a long time, referring
to the unusually severe restrictions.

Students from the inventive circle Impulse (Angarsk), who found an unexpected decision, were
reasoning like that. The inversed discs should be removed from the conveyor belt. Then we
compose an ideal of the conveyor belt: the belt throws off the defective discs. Here is a
contradiction again: the belt should keep the discs and the same belt should throw off them. But

32

not to throw off everything and only those which are laying improperly: there are two tasks to
discover the wrong disc and to throw it off.
It is known that any work is performed with the energy consumption. But is there any energy in
the conveyor's area? Yes, it is the mechanical energy of motion of the belt itself and the internal
energy of the surrounding space, and air.
Then we specify the ideal. The belt, using the internal energy of the environment and the
mechanical energy of motion, discovers the disc, which is laying improperly, and throws it out.
You should not be afraid of such a fantastic perfectionism. Let's try to find a perfect solution, the
best in this situation. If you cannot achieve the goal fully, we will slightly depart from the ideal by
introducing some new types of energy and substance. By the way, let's specify: which of these
objects or substances are present in the conveyor area? The disc, conveyor belt, and drops of
water on the disc left after its washing. That's all what we need to solve this problem. Let's recall
the physical properties and capabilities of each of these substances during the transmission
through them of the heat energy. Do the light and dark subjects react to the heat in the same
way? No. The dark discs, while absorbing the heat, warm up, but the shiny discs reflect the heat
rays and remain cold. That's why the mirror is always cold, even when lying in a sunny spot.
The water boils at 100C, and increasing its volume, can perform a great mechanical work.
Conveyor belt does not change its properties at the same temperature. So we have found one
of the solutions.
What happens if we direct to the disc a powerful heat beam, such as a projector lamp? Dark
discs will be heated to a temperature above 100C. The existing liquid under them will boil.
These discs like the cars on the steam-air pillow will be tearing around among the cold light
discs. The slightest inclination of the conveyor belt and they will fly off it! Isn't it an original
solution?!
And it was found by the 7th grade scholars: Kolya Korenev, Sasha Walter, Dima Domashevsky,
Eugene Kelin, Stas Skrynik, Slava Starodubtsev. They also offered some more options.
According to one of them the discs should be pre-cooled, so they would be frozen to the
conveyor belt. As before, the external heat will affect them. The dark discs will melt faster than
the dark discs as they are actively absorbing the heat, and will fall from the inclined conveyor.
Perhaps this solution is even more simply and more reliable than the previous one.
You can also cover he belt with the layer, blowing at 80 ... 100C. Then the defective discs will
be in the full sense of the word shoot back from the belt, when being heated. Using the
difference in temperature of the discs during the heating, you can find some more solutions.
Think about it by yourselves.
Here was given a very brief analysis of the solutions, but it allows to note the main thing- in
order to solve any inventive problem it is necessary to study the technical situation, to choose
the one specific task in it, to translate it into a mini-task, to define an operational area of the
actions, to compose an ideal and to overcome contradictions, involving the resources of the
system.
So, lets remember any technical system in its development is approaching the ideal, i.e., it
becomes more simple, more reliable, more efficient. Upon reaching the ideal, the technical
system disappears, but its function continue to be performed.
The moving to the ideal is realized in several ways. Lets look at them closely.

33

STAGES OF THE IDEAL

The desire to make the machine more ideal it's not a caprice of the inventor and designer, but
a demonstration of the objective law of its development. From the fabulous ancient times we
remember the words: magic table-cloth, magic carpet, seven-league boots, etc., which show
that our ancestors intuitively felt the promising direction of the development of the surrounding
objects. Today it is recognized by us as the basic law of development.
You already know that ideal technical system disappears upon reaching the ideal. It seems a
little strange there is no machine, but the work is still performed. However, there is no mystery.
Just the function of the technical system is plurastically performed by the super-system, which
it includes, or the environment, sometimes it is one and the same.
Today there are a lot of inventions, and they are the pearls of the technical creativity. Look at
least at the self-sharpening plough. It is made of three layers: the middle part of the solid
material, the edges of soft material. During the soil treatment the edges of the plough are
peeled off faster than its middle part, and in the result it always remains sharpened. And where
is the tool for its sharpening? It disappeared. Its function is performed by the external
environment, i.e. soil.
There are three main ways of increasing the degree of ideality in technique.
The first way improving of the multifunctionality of the technical system. For example, after
drilling of deep holes in the steel detail there remains chips. There are many different devices
for drawing off chips out of the holes. Lets have the task to improve the ideality of the drill by
increasing its multifunctionality. First of all let the drill clean the hole of the chips.
What should be done for that? The first thing that comes to mind is to magnetize the drill and
the chips will reach for it. The same drill can control the depth of the center drilling. Depending
on the depth of the dipping into metal the variations of the drill are different. Vibratory sensor
that is detecting these variations and tuned to a specific frequency, will immediately turn off the
machine, when a certain depth of drilling is reached.
The ideal technical system retains its dimensions, weight and consumed energy by increasing
the number of functions. This state is clearly illustrated by the modern electronic calculators. Its
first generation also performed only arithmetic operations. Today, they can calculate the
percents, raise to a power, extract the radicals and perform many other functions, keeping the
former dimensions, and even becoming smaller. The same happens with the wrist watch. Some
of the models not only show the time, but also serve as an alarm clock, thermometer, pulse
meter, etc.
One Japanese company has developed the watch of the 21st century. There is mounted a
microcomputer, which can present a variety of information, including timetables of the aircraft
and trains. This box also includes a vest-pocket radio and a mini-screen for watching TV
programs.
All this is possible only under the condition that one and the same element performs dozens of
functions.
The second way of approaching the ideal is transformation of the parts of the system in a tool.
The process is gradual, long-term, but inevitable. It is demonstrated by any developing
technological system. For example, lets take the car. Its tool, which performs the basic function,
is the wheel. So in the vehicle are transformed the elements of the car, which are working for
the main function transmission, the engine, driving. It can be demonstrated by modern heavy
vehicles that have motor-in-wheel.

34

As the research of P. Salamatov has shown, the process of idealization is wave-like. Firstly, a
technical system, while expanding its functions, becomes more complicated, acquires assistive
devices. Then it becomes simpler again, although the number of functions is not less. Then
follows a new cycle a new expansion and then transformation. Finally there is a complete
transformation of the extensive technical system in a single ideal substance that is the main
tool, and successfully performs all functions.
You probably know that the first TVs were mechanical. Hundreds of electromagnets have built a
primitive image on the screen, raising and lowering flags. Then the hundreds of details have
transformed in an electron beam, embossing the markings on the luminous screen. The
number of details decreased, although the amount of transmitted information increased.
New features channelling, colour grade, and others updated the colour TV with mass of
assistive devices that make it work not very reliable. Then should have followed the
transformation of all its devices that provide colour in a single ideal substance. And these
TVs have already appeared. They use the liquid crystals that are controlled by an
electromagnetic field. Now TV has transformed from a huge, expensive and complicated box
into a flat thin sheet, which can be hanging on the wall like a picture. There is only one tool left.
Perhaps the following feature of the TV can be a smell, three-dimensional image, the sensitivity
to the mood of the owner, etc. And then it will be updated, expanded again in order to
transform afterwards in a flat screen, i.e., again tool.
The third way of increasing the degree of ideality transfer to the supersystem. The technical
system develops and then disappears by transferring its functions to an element from the
nearest supersystem, thus increasing its multifunctionality. At the new level everything will start
from the beginning. There will be a process of increasing the number of performed functions,
transformation in the tool, and finally the transfer of functions to the next supersystem. In
addition more and more subsystem elements of the supersystem are involved in work.
The transfer of functions will be repeated until it reaches the highest supersystem environment.
Exactly the elements of nature will perform all functions of technique... But it can happen only in
the distant future, while the process of idealization will be developing for a long time at the level
of technical systems.
Let's come back to the TV. It has transformed into a tool flat screen with the performance of
multiple functions. What is its next step? Of course, the transfer of its functions to the nearest
supersystem, any element of the apartment. Maybe the TV of the future will represent an
ordinary window glass. It will be and it will not be... Our new window can permit the sunlight to
the room, convert it into electric energy, and if necessary to become the TV screen. Or maybe
the function of TV will not be performed by the window, but by the wallpapers on the wall or
lamp shade? In principle, it does not matter. The main thing is that while approaching the ideal
the technical system always transfers to the supersystem, at first partially and then completely.
Lets illustrate this situation by one example. Lets recall the genealogy of our ordinary pen. How
many subjects were needed in the 19th century to write a letter? At least five a goose quill, a
bottle of ink, sandbox for powdering the sheet to dry the ink, the bureau the high table and a
penknife for sharpening the goose quills.
Lets very briefly retrace the evolution of the writing device, and the way of improvement of its
ideality. The goose quill was replaced by the pen with a crow quill. The process of sharpening
the pen became unnecessary; the knife also disappeared. From the table it moved to the
supersystem, becoming the sharpener for crow quills at the factory. On the table just ink and a
pen were left.

35

A new quill pen has become a fountain pen, the so-called unceasing pen. The inkpot
disappeared, moving to the floor above, i.e., in the body of the pen. There was only the process
of its filling. But this design of the pen, which seemed to be easy enough, was not capable of
holding the leading position. It was replaced by the ball-point pen, which was not necessary to
be repaired, dipped and filled with the ink. The device for filling the pen disappeared completely
transferring to the supersystem factory. The sandbox also disappeared, it became ideal. At
first it was a paperweight, then the special paper. And when the fast-setting paste was
developed, the function of taking away of extra ink was transferred to the air environment.
Then a number of evolutionary transformations of elements of the pen were performed. In some
ball-point pens the refills have disappeared they have become more ideal as they have
transferred their function keeping of paste to the closest element of supersystem- the body
of the pen. The body also disappears, more and more turning into a tool, which is becoming
porous and more multifunctional. New markers represent just one part sharpened porous refill,
penetrated with paste and varnished from outside. The next function is keeping of the paste.
The paste should disappear from the pen, and this trend is already up-to-date. The paste should,
of course, transfer to the nearest supersystem, i.e., to the paper. The paper, which contains the
microcapsules with the paste, is already beginning to be produced in some countries. On this
paper you can write by any stick or any hard object. Crushed microcapsules leave a clear trace
on the paper.
So, we came back to the old technical system for writing, but at a qualitative new level. The
case is that the ancient Romans have used the same sticks, the so-called stylus, for writing on
clay tablets. This phenomenon as it is supposed to be the return to the old is called the
spiral development of the system.
But let's continue the analysis of the pen. What is left for writing? Paper, stick and table. Guided
by the law of transfer of the functions to the supersystem, we should make ideal, i.e., to lose a
stick. Its function should be overtaken by the paper. It not only keeps the ink, but also records
our letters words. Actually, this paper should transform any kind of our sounds into symbols
graphical, magnetic, etc. As you have already guessed, this tape recorder that is designed as a
flexible sheet or notebook. We have finally lost a pen and a table-desk. There is only one
element, which can record, keep and reproduce the words.
In the early 30s there was an invention which was at first accepted as a curiosity. Its author was
B.P. Skvortsov. An invention was called the talking paper. The inventor had a task to create a
cheap device for voice and musical playback. In fact it was an attempt to make more use of
already known method of the photo recording of the sound, but on the plain paper. The
invention is significantly ahead of its time and therefore is not so widespread. The magnetic
recording, which appeared later, has forced out the idea of photographic recording of sounds on
paper. But the process of idealization has not stopped. The modern tape recorders, while
developing, will immediately transform into one tool magnetic tape, which will receive the
sound signals, store them in a magnetic record and play back at the right time. Imagine that
instead of a notebook there is a self-recording paper in your pocket. You do not need any pen,
ink and other attributes of recording your thoughts. This idea is not so far from its
implementation. Moreover, the possibility of capturing and recording the bio impulses of the
brain while thinking is being studied. Perhaps in the future each of us will be able to
imaginatively include the recording device and to record our thoughts in a visible image or
words.
And who knows, maybe someday there will be created the World Center of Original Thought,
where the recording device will be located, which is waiting for the command to receive and
record the new thoughts.

36

And then the dream of fantasts became a reality the creation of the overmind that will be
nothing more than a union of creative ideas of billions of people living on Earth.
So, the pen has reached its ideal and disappeared. We have lost it, but have not lost the
opportunity to make records. However, the replacing supersystem, while improving and
approaching the ideal, will slowly lose its elements and, formally becoming more simple, will
transfer into a higher supersystem. And this process as it develops, penetrates into outer space.
So will be created a Thinking Space, working for a man...
We seem to be a little bit taken with the idea to follow up the law of increasing the degree of
ideality by the example of a ball-point pen. Whether this will happen in this way or in a different
way, the time will show. As they say, wait and see. The one thing is clear: technique can not be
developed without approaching the ideal.
It should be noted another peculiarity of the behavior of technical systems with increasing
degree of ideality. At first, the technique is fighting with the forces of nature, and then adapts to
them, and finally uses them for its work and development.
Until now, considering the development of the technical system, we have supposed that it is
changed by the man. Self-organizing and self-developing technical systems are still in the
future. Then a man will be really busy creating a new class of self-organizing machines and
making adjustments to the program of their work, but the machines themselves will increase the
degree of their ideality. Today we manually turn the technical system in the right direction, and
should compose it ideal by ourselves...
We will describe below how to do that.

IDEAL, IDEAL FINAL RESULT AND JUMPING KETTLE

Once James Watt got the idea of the steal engine, while watching at the boiling kettle. Having
heard this, the well-known character of the club 12 Chairs of the Literary newspaper, Eugene
Sazonov exclaimed:
For forty years I have been looking at the kettle,
Poet, novelist, erudite.
But it gives rise to none unusual thoughts!
And what about you? Are there any thoughts? No? So it should be. We do not know what we
need to invent. As for me, the task with the kettle was suggested by the tragicomical case. As
always, in the morning I glanced at watch and realized that I could be late, and hurried out of the
house. I was just in time. Half an hour later, having recovered the breath, I suddenly
remembered that I left a kettle on a hot plate. The pictures seemed to be more and more
frightening... Listening to the comments of my smart colleagues I rushed home. On my way
home in the evening I bought a new kettle. Lovingly stroking it and wishing it a long life, I was
thinking how to make sure that this kettle will not repeat the story of its predecessor. How
should this task be set?
Let's turn the situation with kettle in the task: Kettle that is left on the hot electric plate does not
allow overheating when the water in it is boiled away. We find in the system kettle-stove the
conflicting elements: the bottom of the kettle and the surface of the heating element of the
electric plate. Now lets specify the task: once the water has boiled away, the bottom of the
kettle should not be heated by the electric plate. Interesting?! Plate is not turned off, then why
should not the bottom heat up? So, we came to the technical contradiction.

37

Now lets imagine a perfect kettle. The bottom of this kettle does not allow overheating and
shows the ability to protect itself from the surface of the plate. Let's try to get closer to the ideal:
the water has boiled away and the temperature of the kettle has risen above 100 C, at that
moment between the bottom of the kettle and the plate appeared a heat insulator. Lets believe
that such situation is possible and lets look for the best thermal insulator. From the handbook
on heat engineering we find out that such thermal insulator is the air. Therefore, in case of
overheat between the bottom and the plate there should appear the air gap.
But for that we need to put up the kettle? Lets specify the task once again now it is the
following: the bottom, while overheating, should put up the kettle by itself. Have you noticed the
light at the end of the tunnel? But lets continue. We should put up the kettle, but we need the
energy for that. How can we get it? A short inspection of existing resources and the energy is
found: it is the heat of the electric plate. Now it is necessary only to find an element that can
convert the heat energy into mechanical energy. Lets open the handbook again there are a
lot of such temperature-sensitive elements, for example bimetal: it concaves while overheating.
So the task is solved. We should do nothing else than fixing the bimetal sheets to the sides of
the bottom of the kettle, which will put the kettle up when heated above 100 C (water has
boiled away). There is a thermal insulator air gap of 30-40 mm. The kettle is saved. You can
place the ring spring at the bottom of the kettle, will be kept by the bimetal fasteners when
compressed. Heated above 100 C, it will release the spring, and a kettle or pot will simple jump
from the plate to the floor, saving itself from overheating, and the home from fire.
We should only add that the first people, who have saved the kettle, were 8th grade scholars of
the circle Impulse, and they received the real inventors' certificates on request Device for the
heat treatment of the food products (variants). They are Andrei Usynin, Igor Ivanov, Andrei
Motychenko, Gennady Ogorodnikov, Victor Sinyak. It is possible that you can find another
solution, but it should obligatory move the kettle to the ideal, because, I suppose that you will
agree as well that perfection is not when there is nothing to add, but when there is nothing to
take away.
Ask for the moon and you will get the best! believed Napoleon, instructing his generals.
We should set a super-task to solve the usual task. Our super-task is the ideal machine, which
is the lightest in the world: it weighs nothing, and is the most energy-efficient in the world, i.e. it
does not consume energy at all, and finally, it is the smallest it is almost not visible. But we
should learn how to formulate the ideal. Therefore, in TRIZ there are special rules for
composing the ideal final result. If the task is free from unnecessary elements or the
contradiction is obvious, the ideal final result can be composed immediately, directly for the
variable element. If the task is not clear, you should identify the contradiction at first, and then
the guilty element, and only then to compose the ideal final result. If this element performs the
required actions, then take the certain X-element, and provide it will all-powerful properties. Let
it not bother you. Solving the task you will step by step determine what lies behind this stranger
and how it should look like. General outline of the formation of the ideal final result is the
following: X-element, not complicating the system and not causing harmful effects, removes...
(to specify the harmful action) during... (to indicate the time of action) and within... (to indicate
location and effective area), while keeping the ability to... (to specify the considered element) to
make... (to specify the required beneficial action). Of course, the possibility of self-clarification
and a change of the formula of the ideal final result are not excluded, if it helps better to show
the desired effect.
While solving the inventive problems it comes rarely to achieve the ideal. More often it comes to
depart from the set goal and introduce some new elements. But the ideas still work we get the
best.

38

Didnt you have at school to search for the right answer in the end of the book before solving the
task, and then carefully to adjust to the solution? This is, of course, a dishonest way to have
fives, but surprising is that this method is the only true and unique in the invention. At first we
should find out the answer the ideal final result, and then to make a decision.
So, lets briefly state the main ideas that were discussed in the chapter about the ideality.
Technical system in its development is approaching the ideal, i.e., it consumes less energy, time
and space for the performance of its function. Upon reaching the ideal, the system disappears,
but its function continues to be performed.
The main ways of approaching the ideal: increasing of the number of performed functions,
transformation into the tool, the transfer to the supersystem.
Upon approaching the ideal, the technical system is struggling with the forces of nature, with the
environment, then adapts to them, and finally uses them for its own purposes. Law of increasing
the degree of ideality is most effectively applied for the element, which is directly located in the
zone of conflict, or gives rise to the undesirable effects.
In this regard the increasing the degree of ideality is usually carried out by using of previously
unused substances and energies available in the area of the rise of the task. The farther away
from the zone of conflict will be taken the substances and energies, the less you will be able to
move to an ideal. But anyway, moving to the ideal, you will experience an ever-increasing
resistance in the form of contradictions. You need to know them and to be able to overcome.
We will discuss it in the next chapter.
And for now we would like to remind the ancient proverb, which deserves attention of the
inventor.
Burnt by the sun of France were shining with sweat the backs of the loaders of the 11th century.
The heavily laden with marble carts were loudly rolling along the boardwalk. There was a laying
of the foundation for the future and famous Chartres Cathedral.
-

What are you doing, dear? asked passerby the first loader.

Dont you see? he answered. carrying the stone!

And you, my dear? asked passerby another loader.

I feed my family was the answer.

The same question was put also to the third loader.

But Im building a palace! and the man proudly pointed at the foundation.

Perhaps the most important thing in invention is to see the still unbuilt palace.
Using the concept of an ideal, try to solve by you some of the inventive tasks. Do not be
confused that they are taken from various areas of human activity. It will be enough to imagine
the ideal technical system to solve them. You will be able to find the answers in the end of the
book, but take your time before doing that. We remind you that in the end of the book there are
some small hints for you.
Task 4. The base of the Pyramid of Cheops has the absolutely precise leveling, however covers
the area of 4.5 hectares. How the ancient Egyptians, who had no modern high-precision
instruments for levelling, could have done this?

39

Task 5. You are in the dental room. Having placed the filling, the doctor warns you: If the filling
falls out, you should immediately come again to place the new one, otherwise the tooth may be
destroyed fully and it will be necessary to remove it. However, the filling sometimes falls out
very quickly, and a person may not know it for weeks.
How to know that the filling has fallen out and to recollect courage for the next visit to the doctor?
Task 6. And now you're a tailor. Somebody has brought a modern bright fabric with different
colour strips and asked to sew a summer suit, but so that the seam twists were visible on the
suit. You took the order and started thinking. The twist of any colour would stand out on this suit.
Hiding of the seam is not allowed by the style. What to do?
Task 7. How to know which of the radioelements is overheated when operated and should be
replaced?
Task 8. Automatic moulder produces a round tablet every second. It rolls along the slopping
platform and comes into the delivery board of the packaging line. Sometimes the automatic
moulder produces a defect: the tablet is not round, but with fractures at the edges, or even
broken into two halves. How to separate the defective tablets without using any special
mechanisms?
Task 9. When Peter the Great was building a city on the Neva River, the word spread among
the working people that this was not a charitable deed. Everybody was referring to the icon of
the Holy Virgin, which suddenly started crying when the construction began. Peter threw over
his imperial uniform the peasants cloth and went to the church together with his Tula armourer,
where people were staring at the crying icon. Peter looked at the icon and asked Tychkov: Is
here a great secret? Tychkov answered What is crafty, is simple and snuffed out a burning
candle that was standing by the icon. After this visit, the eyes of the Holy Virgin always
remained dry. Which secret has guessed Tychkov?
Task 10. In many large cities the road crossings are equipped with special traffic lights that
regulate the duration of the red or green lights, depending on the number of cars at the crossing.
How can it be?
Task 11. The sand is delivered to the hopper along the pipe line by gravity. When the hopper is
full it is necessary to block the pipe line, but any fastenings or valves are quickly wearing out by
sand. Suggest a perfect valve.
Task 12. What are the fundamental changes that will occur in the future with the wrist watch
while it is approaching the ideal.
Task 13. You've come to the canning factory. The empty glass cans, washed in hot water, are
moving in an endless stream along the conveyor. But some of them have cracks in the body
frame and fractures on the necks. Suggest a device for separating the defective cans from the
total flow. I only ask you not to dip the can into the water and not to use the photocells and other
exotics. Do that simpler, more ideal! Good luck to you on your way to the ideal final result!
Link to the hints

40

IN THE BEGINNING WAS A CONTRADICTION

The contradiction is the criterion of the truth,
the absence of contradictions criterion of the deception ...
Georg Hegel

EMBRYO IN THE NEWBORN

(law of the unity of contradictions)
...And the warrior came riding on his horse to the intersection of two roads, and saw that there is
a big stone with the inscription: If you go to the right will lose the horse, if you go to the left
lay down your life. So Ivan Tsarevich took thought...
Is there somebody who has not heard this Russian fairy tale? How you listened to it with bated
breath a long time ago, truly experiencing and warmly wishing good luck to Ivan Tsarevich? But
then you grew up, and you have your own problems, and now you are often standing by
yourself at the intersection of the roads, learning the joyless inscription on the stone. And this
stone in the inventive practice is called a contradiction. It appears suddenly, like an evil jinn at
the full huge length, when somebody wants fundamentally to improve something in the machine
or in the production technology. You face it also in everyday life. If you want quickly to cook
dinner, increase the flame please, here it is, this contradiction is acidly looking from the halfburnt porridge.
The world of technology is full of implicit and explicit contradictions. They force the inventor to
be the master of his endless search. Immanuel Kant, who was fundamentally judging of
everything, said: To invent something doesn't mean to open, because something that is being
opened, is assumed to be existing before the opening, but not yet known, such as America
before Columbus, but something that is invented, such as gunpowder, was known to nobody
before the master, which made this invention.
It is hard to disagree with this idea. Indeed, the inventor has to look for something that does not
exist, and even if exists, then for many reasons is not applicable and requires to be changed. By
creating a non-existent we don't have the rights and capabilities to violate the existing laws of
the nature. But we also cannot stop in our development.
In this situation, the famous Hamlet's question to be or not to be turns from its rhetorical
essence into a severe reality.
If we try to avoid the answer or not to notice this question, it turns into an even more serious
problem, which affects more profound public interests and comes into conflict with the
environment. The art of the inventor involves the revealing of the key component of the chain of
contradictions and cutting-off of this chain by using the known laws of nature.
The use of gunpowder, mentioned by Kant, is also the result of resolution of the contradiction
that arose in small arms. Bow as a weapon of war satisfied the attacker until the armor
appeared... For the arrow to break through the armor, the bow needed much more power. For
this reason it was becoming more and more tight. And not everybody had the strength to pull
back the bow-string. There was a contradiction. Initially there was an attempt to overcome this
contradiction straight-forward. The huge bows were created, which were pulled back by the
entire team of archers. But as a result of this action the mobility of the attack units, and the main

41

advantage of the archer firing speed was lost. The next attempt to avoid the contradiction
was made at the design level. It was the same bow, but its bow-string was pulled back already
by a hand winch. One archer could have handled this crossbow, but the loading by the platoon
took too much time. For this reason this crossbow was not widely developed.
Contradiction in small arms was overcome only after the transition to chemical energy of the
substance gunpowder. The enormous physical strength was no longer necessary, and a bullet,
which once was the arrow, has received the sufficient energy to break through any armor. But
now this new small arms was left unchanged. It was improved, experiencing new contradictions.
For example, the first guns were loaded from the tubes and therefore had to be short, but they
also had to be long, as with the short tube the bullet did not manage to gather enough speed
from the pressure of the expanding powder gases. The contradiction was resolved when the
gun was provided with the bolt and loading cases that allowed putting a bullet in the tube from
the side of the club.
The further way of development of small firearms has also been associated with the overcoming
of the next contradictions. In fact, while tracing the development of any technical system, the
common feature appears to be evident- its qualitative improvement was becoming possible only
by overcoming the contradictions. There is no other way.
Apparently, the great Schiller was wrong in saying: The truth does not suffer, if somebody does
not recognize it. It turns out that it is still suffering. And we will commit a sin against the truth, if
while constructing a new technique, will not take into account the emerging contradictions.
Unfortunately, the newcomer inventor, having faced the contradictions in the problem, becomes
frightened and shrinks back as it seems to be invincible. But this is equivalent to the situation as
if the surgeon in the course of operation would become afraid of the inflamed appendix and sew
up the wound not having removed it. The inventor is the surgeon of technique, his duty is to
modify or even to remove the inflamed host machine. And you cannot become a true inventor,
if you do not learn how to identify and overcome contradictions.
Since the mankind passed from the horseshoes production to the cars manufacturing, it has
accumulated enough experience of communication with the contradictions in the technology. As
a rule, these were the joyless meetings, each of them forced to stop and to choose the way
forward. There was a great wish to try to avoid the contradictions. But such actions remind the
behaviour of the ostrich, which hides its head in the sand in case of danger, naively believing
that now it is in safety.
At the end of the last century London experts have estimated that if the horse-drawn transport
continues to be developed under control of the rapidly developing industry of the city, in 20
years London will be under a two-meter layer of manure... This joyless picture was presented by
the insolvability of the contradiction there should be a lot of horses to provide raw materials for
factories and plants, and there should not be a lot of horses to save the city. Situation was
saved by a car. There was much more horsepower in the city dozens or even thousands in
each engine, while the horses disappeared. The contradiction was resolved by the transition of
the transport system to a new level. With the appearance the well-being seemed to be achieved
and the city was not in danger anymore. But, as the French say: if everything is fine, do not
worry it's not for long time.
Being excited with the cars, in the 20s nobody thought that the unrestrained growth of their
number will lead to another problem air pollution. London was again the first to feel that
something is wrong. There was the sadly famous car smog over the city, formed by the exhaust
gases of hundreds of thousands engines. People were short of breath, regulators at the
crossroads were dressed in oxygen suits. The unmastered technical contradiction in the internal

42

combustion engine made itself known like that: the fuel in the cylinder should burn quickly to
give sufficient power, and it also should burn slowly in order to react fully and not to form toxic
compounds.
When there was not a lot of cars, this situation did not cause much concern. Power, speed,
comfort fascinated the designers. Escaping half-burnt fuel from the exhaust pipe suggested only
to establish a more capacious fuel tanks. With an increasing number of cars the situation has
changed dramatically. Unresolved technical contradiction came into conflict with man and
nature. Various converters of the exhaust gases are considerably complicating the engine and
take away a large dose of its power. Different fuel additives are not very helpful as well. They
are harmful to the engine itself. By these and similar means we're trying to avoid the
contradiction, but not to allow it. The familiar tactics of the ostrich...
Favourite child of the 20th century, having developed, managed to accumulate so much of the
unresolved contradictions that have been fighting with a man for a long time, punishing him for
his poverty and shyness of the inventive idea. Now, over a quarter of a million people are dying
in the car accidents every year. It's more than in all natural disasters of the world earthquakes,
hurricanes, storms, etc. The car, disturbing the ecological balance and applying pressure on the
nature, causes far more damage than all other invaders and disease causing microbes. If the
nature was able to shoot, it would firstly shot down the car.
Contradiction, which is carried by an internal combustion engine, turns into a worldwide disaster.
This situation cannot stay longer. It should be changed. And it will be changed when we learn
how to burn the fuel in the cylinder without the formation of toxic emissions. But for that we need
to dramatically increase its burning time, what will lead to a loss of power... One more
contradiction.
Try to resolve it, using the recommendations of TRIZ, and divide the conflicting demands in time
and space (see Appendix 1). It means that the fuel should be burned, completely and
qualitatively, in one place, and to use that gained in another. It is necessary to release the
vehicle from the internal combustion engine, arranging the power plant electrical, inertial, gas,
etc. We think that the inertial accumulator will be the first. It is simpler, easier and more reliable
than electric. Flywheels can store up the energy that is sufficient for the motion of the car for
hundreds of kilometers. Constructions of flywheels are being improved. Once hyped up in an
evacuated jacket they may maintain their rotation for many months.
The picture will be real when instead of the engine in the car will be installed the flywheel, hyped
up at full speed. Its energy will be enough for a few months of car operation. Then will follow a
new backspin, and the car will drive without an engine. For hyping of the flywheel the special
thermal power plants will be provided, which essentially represent the same car engines, but
brought away outside the city and combined into one. Thus, there is a real possibility to store up
the energy in the flywheels from the low-level renewable sources wind, geothermal waters,
solar heat, etc.
So, the car will be ecologically clean. Whats next? Will all the problems disappear?
Unfortunately, after the further development of the car the new contradictions will appear, which
would also require a resolution. This process is endless, it is dictated by the dialectics of
development. Any technical system carries the beginning of the future problems, which increase
with our needs.
It is necessary clearly to understand contradictions in the technology appear only when we
increase our requirements for a particular technical system or any of its part. Moreover, the
requirements for an object can be very different thus the multiplicity of contradictions appears.
The close interaction between desired and undesired has been noted already in ancient times.

43

The Chinese monad interpreted this dual connection as follows: There is no good, which would
not contain the evil and no evil, which would not contain good. Graphically, it was expressed in
the following way.

Of course, you can agree or disagree with these generalizations, but the inventor should see in
this newborn car the embryos of the future defects. This allows taking timely actions to resolve
contradictions even before they loudly declare themselves.
Let's admit that it was possible to design a car, which is capable of gaining the speed of
700...800 km/h. What will the contradictions? One of them the brakes: the reliable, dead
brakes are necessary to brake hard in case of danger, and you cannot have them, as the hard
braking can cause overloads that will not be stood out by the passengers. The way out: to
provide the car with a special radar installation, which would probe the road a few miles ahead,
as the braking distance is more than 500 meters. But all this will incredibly complicate the car,
and besides, any road has turnings, batters, where the radar installation will be useless. The
revealed contradiction makes abandon the planned car. But people want to drive faster...
What to do then? The contradiction, found in the planned car, can only be resolved at the level
of supersystem, to which it belongs, i.e. it is necessary to change the road itself. Its blade
should be raised above the ground to avoid the appearance of any random object on it, which
would cause the need for emergency braking. Most likely, this road will resemble the monorail,
which serves not only as a support for the wheels, but also allows transportation of energy for
motion. And what's left of the car? Cabin for the passengers and the engine of electrical or
electromagnetic type. The goal is achieved you can safely drive with the speed of 700...800
km/h.
Overcoming the contradictions, the urban transport will transit from the monosystem, which is
represented by some cars, into the polysystem. These will be the already mentioned monorails
and flexible high-speed sidewalks, and pneumatic tube transport, hidden under the ground, and
other equally highly organized, environmentally clean and safe technical systems. Of course,
the possibility of using an ordinary car is not excluded. But it will be a promenade, special or
sport car, relatively low-speed and so rare, as a horse on the streets today.
It follows that the contradictions not only define the present but also the future of the developed
by the technical system. Identification and analysis of the contradictions form the basis of the
prediction of the technology of the future.
It is interesting to note the remarkable invention of nature, which it demonstrates in case of
contradictions. Here is one example. Lost in the vast of ocean island of Mauritius is covered with
the jungles of calvaria. But the seeds of these plants are pecked by the dodo birds. Nature
found the following way out. It provided the seeds of calvaria with unusually thick shell. The
embryo of a plant can only hatch out if the shell of the seed has nuzzled against the digestive
stones that dodo, like many other birds, swallows and constantly keeps in the stomach. By

44

resolving the contradiction to be eaten and not be eaten, calvaria obtained the possibility to
multiply and prosper.
Now, after we have painted a general portrait of the contradictions in the technology, let's look
closely at its shape.
Among the chaos the three types of contradictions are clearly distinguished administrative,
technical, and physical.
Let's get acquainted with each of them separately.
But before that try to practice in finding contradictions of common types and in overcoming them
on the basis of the tasks.
Task 14. One of the Seven Wonders of the World Lighthouse of Alexandria in Egypt,
Mediterranean coast. Time has destroyed the lighthouse, but archaeologists say that it was
more than 300 m tall.
The lighthouse was standing for several centuries with the inscription at the top: Sostratos of
Dexiphanes the Cnidian to Saviour Gods for the seafarers. That was the name of the builder,
and people always remember his name. But the history remembers also something different.
When the construction of the lighthouse was ended, the emperor called Sostratos and ordered:
You will record my name on the lighthouse! The builder knew if he fails to fulfil this order, he
will be executed, and if he fulfils the descendants will never know the name of this author of
the lighthouse. The builder was kept alive, but the whole world knew his name. How could this
happen?
Task 15. There was a all-mighty devil. One day he caught three travellers and agreed to let
them go if they set an impossible task.
The first traveller asked to make a tree of gold, the second to turn the river back. Both tasks
were easily performed by the devil.
A third traveller was kept alive. Which task did he set?
Task 16. Which contradiction exists in an apple fallen from the tree, and how it is resolved by
nature?
Task 17. Which contradiction is not resolved in the pike of the building poling?
Task 18. What are the home products that are simultaneously hot and cold, unified and crushed,
edible and inedible, solid and liquid.
Task 19. What is the creature that simultaneously flies with the speed of sound, and with a
speed of pedestrian.
Task 20. How to eat something that is known by everybody seen by nobody?
Link to the hints
If some tasks are difficult for you, do not give up. Come back to them after reading the chapter
Duel with the contradictions, and you will succeed for sure.

45

I KNOW WHAT, BUT I DONT KNOW HOW

(administrative contradiction)
The philosophy is the administrative contradiction is simple and sounds disarmingly
straightforward, for example: "It cannot be done, but still needs to be done! or It can no longer
continue, we should do something!"
Convincing, isnt it? Administrative contradiction, are usually created by the man himself, or
rather by the organizational circumstances that he created. Lets describe the following historical
event as an example.
About twelve hundred years ago, in 800, the coronation of Charlemagne took place. In
accordance with the ritual the crown on the head of Charlemagne should have been set by the
Pope. Charlemagne faced a difficult task. Coronation was necessary for the consolidation of
power, so the political considerations dictated the need for its implementation with due
ceremony. On the other hand, because of these political considerations, it was totally
unacceptable that the Pope crowned Charlemagne, as it turned out that the Pope was above
the emperor: if the Pope gave the crown, he might have taken it away one day. There was a
complicated situation: Charlemagne should have been crowned by the Pope in order to keep
the ritual, and should not have been crowned by him in order not to be dependent on the clergy.
Charlemagne found an original way. At the time of the coronation he snatched the crown from
the Popes hands and placed it on his head. Long live the King! Nothing and nobody can be
above the King!
A thousand years later, in December 1804, in Notre Dame, Napoleon's coronation took place.
And there was again a similar situation. Napoleon used the method of Charlemagne, and also
snatched his crown from the hands of the Pope...
And what would you do? Contradiction is the same, so the method must be the same.
Administrative contradiction is also in technology. However, there it is a bit different, but still
connected with the man and sets him thinking it is necessary to do something, but I dont
know how.
Administrative contradiction includes a tangle of problems, and many difficulties are difficult to
be resolved because of the attempts immediately to understand the situation, without identifying
a specific problem. The unpopularity of this original list of inventive problem is defined by the
fact that there are usually presented the problems at the level of administrative contradiction.
The duties of the inventor include the overcoming of this contradiction by transformation of
unclear, muzzy situations, consisting of a tangle of problems, in one particular technical problem.
Let's look at one of these lists and try to overcome the existing administrative contradiction there
by an example of such a problem. Improve the existing high-voltage power line, mast supports
that are located in the permafrost zone. Some foundations of the mast supports warm the
adjoining soil, which deliquates, loses its bearing resistance, and supports fall. Suggest a way
that excludes this fact. After reading this statement, you can hardly imagine what should you do,
in fact.
To develop a new mast construction that will not transfer heat to the foundation? But the mast is
already constructed and is located, where it should be. To change the mast is no longer
possible. Suggest a new foundation? This cannot be done as well. This would require significant
capital works and line disconnection. To change the soil around the foundation? It is unlikely
that the line disconnection will not be necessary. So it turns out that you can only strengthen the
existing soil by its artificial slight-freezing. But there are hundreds of masts. Is it possible that it

46

will be necessary to treat the soil around each mast with the low-temperature liquid? It is
impossible and not needed. Emergency defrost of the coat occurs only under certain mast
supports. But how to know, under which is it? Here is a specific problem. It is formulated as
follows: Suggest a device or method for detection of an emergency defrost of the permafrost
soil under the supports of high-voltage power lines.
Compare this with the original wording. As you see, the difference is great. Now you already
know which problem should be dealt with.
In case of re-design of the line a different direction could have been discovered, such as
creation of self-cooling supports. But this approach is not applicable to the already constructed
line. It is necessary to proceed from the current situation and to choose from the existing
problems the one whose solution is implementable.
Thus, the main features of the administrative contradictions in technology uncertainty of the
situation, the conflict between man and technology, the appearance of new needs in the
absence of its implementers, or the inability of the technology to satisfy the needs of the old
equipment, but to a greater extent.
Overcoming of an administrative contradiction, i.e. the selection of a specific problem in the
specific conditions is associated with the conduction of the root cause analysis of the situation,
search for the primary cause. Later you find out more information about this work, but now let
me recall that, having overcome the administrative contradiction and discovering the problem,
you will inevitably encounter a new, so called, technical contradiction.

I KNOW HOW, BUT THIS MAKES EVERYTHING EVEN WORSE

(technical contradiction)
Technical contradiction arises between the parameters of the system, its components or groups
of details. It dictates: If you improve one thing it will certainly makes worse the other! A lot of
pegs with the tablets finish was left here by the inventors.
The following example will help you to understand the essence of the technical contradiction.
For example, you have decided to increase the speed of the airplane and installed powerful new
engines. A terrible roar of the engines shakes the airdrome plates, but the wings cannot tear off
the much more heavier airplane from the ground. Then you have decided to increase the wings.
Now the plane takes off, but the increased wing drag consumes the power of your new engines.
The goal is not achieved the speed has not increased.
This happened because the main contradiction was not resolved: the wings should be large
enough to provide sufficient lifting force on takeoff, when the speed is still small, and they
should also be small in order not to cause the large head resistance during the high-speed flight,
when the lifting rises sharply.
Until recently it seemed that this contradiction is insoluble. The designers agreed to a
compromise. They chose the minimal area of the wings such, but sufficient for takeoff. But it
was an alternative route, of two evils was chosen the least. For some time the situation was
tolerable. But then the new, higher speeds were necessary. It was not possible to follow the
beaten path anymore. So they decided to increase the take-off and landing speed of airplane,
raising it to several hundred kilometers per hour. It was more and more difficult and dangerous
to boost such airplanes into the air and to land them on airfields. Takeoff and landing became
one of the most complicated and important elements of the flight. The length of the take-off
runways was measured in kilometers. The airports were located farther and farther outside the

47

city. There was a situation when the way to the airport took more time than the flight itself. There
was a patchwork as the result one thing was improved, another was unacceptably worsened.
This contradiction with the wings required a resolution. And then there appeared the planes with
a variable-sweep wings. Now on takeoff the wings were expanding, increasing their area by
50...60%, and with increase in altitude and speed, they again decreased their area. This allowed
significantly to increase the cruise speed with the same engines.

Lets consider a more earthly situation and come back to the problem of signalling of the soil
defrost under the supports of the powerline. You remember that we need to find the support
under which there was an unacceptable emergency soil defrost to have time to take appropriate
measures for its artificial slight freezing. Methods of slight soil freezing are known and widely
used, for example, its treatment with liquid oxygen or nitrogen. Considering that the supports of
the powerline are often located along the mountainous or swampy areas, it is desirable to know
the status of soil from the air, for example from an airplane or helicopter.
The first thing that probably comes to each of you to put in the soil near to the foundation
several thermometers. Taking the readings and transforming them into the signaling lights on
the mast, we could judge of the state of the soil from the air. It seemed to be the only right way.
But ordinary thermometers are not applicable: buried in the soil, they will not provide information.
Consequently, it is necessary to apply electric contact thermometers or special thermal couples.
But then will be needed the individual sources of energy in the form of batteries, additional
devices for receiving and processing of received signals, special electric lines and controlling
equipment. Moreover, considering the frost rending of the soil, it will be necessary to take
measures not to damage the included and wires. There is a need for special protective devices
and facilities.
So, wishing to improve the informativeness of the system, you are faced with unacceptable
complexity. Really: I know how to do, but this makes everything even worse. Then you decide
that it is better to leave everything as usual, and with the help of a crowbar or shovel to
determine the condition of the soil around each support. However, will take a long time and a lot
of money, but this is reliable. But, judging like that, we thus recognized the defeat from the
identified technical contradictions. What to do? The special set of techniques of resolution of
technical contradictions available in TRIZ will help to find a way out of this situation. These
techniques and rules of their use will be described in a separate chapter.
It is necessary to remember: the technical contradiction is a conflict within the technical system,
between its subsystems. While improving one thing another thing is being unacceptably
worsened.
Lets consider another real manufacturing situation, which will be an example of the
development of technical contradictions.

48

The excited crane operator entered the office of the department head and said: I refuse to work
in your production department. I absolutely cant breathe there! My cabin is at the top, and all
the smoke comes there from the hardening bathes. The department head calmed the woman
as he could, and then was thinking and analyzing the situation. This was not the first time that
the workers complained of excessive air pollution.
The order for thermal hardening in oil of the set of large parts was received unexpectedly, and a
special area for this operation was not ready. It was necessary to realize thermal hardening right
in the production department. Bridge crane took an overheated in the heating stove part and
dipped it in a bath of oil. While dipping of the part the adjoining oil flashed, and the thick harsh
smoke filled the production department. When piece was dipped in the oil completely, the
burning stopped, only a small stream of smoke of evaporation rose above its surface.
Method of hardening was not allowed to be changed it was prescribed by the technology, but
it was also impossible to perform such work in the production department. Already familiar
administrative contradiction. Existing ventilation was unable to cope with high gas content. We
tried to increase its power, but new vent pipe blocked the whole department, creating such draft,
that many workers were getting cold. So it was necessary to abandon that idea. We decided to
install the cover over the bath, which would spring after the descending part. But, according to
the rules of safety, the crane operator should always see the goods with which he works, and
the cover disturbed this process. Therefore, this innovation had to be abandoned.
There was announced the commercial competition, how to reduce the gas content in the
production department. The first place took a decision, which proposed sharply to increase the
rate of descent of the overheated part in oil. Urgently was given the task to designers to
redesign the crane headgear construction in order to increase the time of the dipping of part
from 2 seconds to 10 seconds. The crane was redesigned in two days. The test was being
conducted. The part slumped into the bath, raising great waves that slopped over the sides. It
was necessary to increase the height of the bath, but it created a lot of discomfort for the
maintenance staff, who was hooking and unhooking the dipped part. Additionally, it was
discovered that the brake system of the crane could not sustain the new loads, and the while
the next dipping of the part the bottom of the bath was broken through. The production
department was flooded with oil. Then the mechanics installed the new powerful brakes which
immediately stopped the goods. The dynamic loads during the hard braking led to the deflection
of the load beam of the crane. The production department stopped.
The chief engineer called an emergency meeting of engineers and technicians to find a way out
of this emergency situation. Technical contradiction was more and more escalating. The Council
decided immediately to strengthen the crane bridge girder with the stiffening girder. And did that.
Two days later it was discovered that the crane girder could sustain the dynamic loads and did
not deflect, but in the rail supports, on which the crane stood, appeared the cracks... It could
have caused the crash the accident in the production department. What to do? The situation
was hopeless.
As you see, the unresolved technical contradiction, wherever it may be, in any case leads to a
sharp deterioration in the adjacent nodes, and more and more drawing away in the supersystem,
causes the dangerous violations. You have probably guessed what was the fundamental error
made by the winner and the designers of the production department. They were struggling with
the result, rather than with the cause. The technical contradiction is a signal that the chosen
task is wrong and that it is being solved in the wrong place.
Try to get back to the original background of invention and see its primary cause. Thus, there is
a smoke pollution of the production department. Until the overheated part doesnt touch the oil
its burning does not occur, i.e. the problem does not exist. When the part is completely dipped

49

in the oil, there is no problem as well. Troubles occur at the moment of contact of the parts with
the surface of the oil. That is the problem. Now lets define the basic elements in a given place
and at the given moment: it is a hot part, oil and air. From these elements we choose one that
causes the adverse event. The source of the smoke pollution is the oil. But we cannot do
anything with it, because it provides the main technological process, which cannot be changed.
And what causes the firing of the oil? Air, or, rather the oxygen contained in it.
Lets accomplish the analysis of the problem of the part hardening for now. Try to find a solution
by yourselves. We will come back to this problem in the next chapter. Now lets select the main
thing: the farther is the solution of the problem from the primary cause of the rise of adverse
event, the more acute and insoluble will be a technical contradiction. Of course, it can be
conciliated by making the whole system more complicated, but as a rule, it soon makes itself
known again in another place. The technical contradiction it's just the middle on the way to
solution of the problem.
To avoid a chain reaction of adverse events that appear due to the technical contradictions, it
is necessary to specify the time and place of the primary causes and to discover the physical
contradiction in it. We will get acquainted with it in the next chapter, but for now try to solve the
problem. Perhaps you will not be able to overcome these problems without a pause. Then read
the chapter about systems thinking and ideal technical system again. If the good success does
not attend you, keep on reading the book and come back to the problems after the chapter
Duel with the contradictions.
Task 21. The one meteorological stations required dipping into the water-hole the devices for
parametering of the water and sampling four times a day in winter. The work was complicated
by the fact that the hole was freezing after 2-3 hours it was necessary to break through again by
the crowbar. There was no complicated mechanisms at the meteorological station. How to
release the employee of the meteorological station from manual work on breaking through of the
water-hole?
Task 22. The heavy press of 40 tones was rolled in by tube rollers to the production department,
and put above the pit of the foundation, where it should have been moved down, removing the
rollers. The pit depth was 0.5 m. There was no suitable lifting equipment. Installation of the
press stopped. The plan of the launching of the production department, scheduled for the first
quarter of the year, collapsed. What to do?
Task 23. You are holding the welding lamp that emits the infrared (thermal) beam. With it you
need to connect with a complex joint the two transparent thermoplastic films. Move the beam
carefully and accurately, it is difficult to achieve. As a result you lose a lot of time, and the
productivity is low. In order not to overfire the film reduce the beam power as much as possible,
but then the welding speed is even more reduced. How to increase the preciseness of the
welding considering your inefficiency? The technical contradiction: the radiation power sharply
decrease the preciseness of manufacturing.
Task 24. Workers obscure the joints between the concrete blocks of the foundation with lime,
sand and cement with water. In this narrow deep channel of 2 meters fell down a nestling. How
to get it?
Task 25. How to replace the damaged area of the pipeline system, not draining the water?
Task 26. How to determine the wear limit of drilling tool, located deep in the borehole, into
which the flush water is conveyed?
Link to the hints

50