Inventions

Evaluate an invention that

solves a problem and determine
ways to improve the design.
 Anything new or different in
the world made by people is an
invention!
Inventions are created to help
make life easier and better.
Lots of invention are ways to
have fun or good things to
eat!
Other inventions are made to
solve problems.
Many inventions keep
people safe.
People who create inventions are
called inventors.

Inventors can live anywhere in

the world and be any age!
Inventors can be anyone that
wants to help the world!

People have been creating

inventions for hundreds of
years.
 Don’t give up!
• Inventors need to plan for a
long time and have to try many
times before they can get their
invention to work the right way.
 No copy cats!
• Once an invention works, inventors will
need to get a patent.

• A patent makes sure that no one can

copy their idea.

• A patent means the inventor can sell

their invention to make money!
 Improvements!
• Inventions can be changed to
make them better!

• Changing the design or plan of an

invention can help the people who
use them.
 Who was it?
• Born in Copenhagen in 1885
• Researched structure of the atom
• First to postulate that electrons travel
around nucleus of atom
• Predicted splitting of uranium atoms
• Gave lectures, never “boring”
 Niels Bohr

• 1885-1962
• Known for the Bohr
model of the atom
– Electrons travel
around nucleus in
restricted orbits
• Won Nobel prize in
physics in 1922
 Who was it?
• Born in Württemberg, Germany, 1879
• Postulated light travels in individual
photons, 1905
• Wrote special theory of relativity 1905
• Wrote general theory of relativity 1916
• E = mc2
 Albert Einstein

• 1879-1955
• Postulated photons
travel in discreet energy
packets (individual
photons)
• Theories of special and
general relativity
• Nobel prize in physics,
1921
 Who was it?
• Born 1852 in Paris
• Discovered natural radiation in uranium in
1896
• Unit of radiation named after
• 1 disintigration/second = 1 Bq
• “Oh Henry!”
 Henri Becquerel

• 1852-1908
• Known for his
discovery of natural
radiation in uranium
• Shared Nobel Prize
with the Curies in
1903
 Who was it?

• Born in Rome, 1901

• Contributed to early theory of beta decay and
neutrino
• Demonstrated nuclear transformation with
neutrons in elements
• Led experiment that performed first controlled
nuclear reaction
• Very “fair to me”
 Enrico Fermi
• 1901-1954
• Discovered neutrino
and neutron
activation
• Work led to fission
and controlled
nuclear reaction
• Nobel prize physics,
1938
 Who was it?

• Born in Nelson, New Zealand, 1871

• Discovered alpha and beta particles in
1898
• Devised method of counting alpha
particles with H Geiger
• Investigations of alpha scattering in
1910 led to the discovery of the nucleus
• Knighted in 1914
 Sir Ernest Rutherford

• 1871-1937
• Discovered alpha
and beta particles
• Discovered nucleus
in 1910
• Won Nobel prize in
chemistry, 1908
 Who was it?
• Born Frankfurt-on-Main, Germany, 1879
• Discovered radiothorium, radioactinum, and
mesothorium
• Developed methods of separating radioactive
particles
• Discovered fission by bombarding uranium and
thorium with neutrons, 1938 with Strassman
• Lets all give him a “hand”
 Otto Hahn

• 1879-1968
• Discovered the process
of fission by
bombarding uranium
with neutrons (including
the chain reaction)
• Won Nobel prize in
chemistry in 1944
 Who was it?
• Born in Warsaw, 1867
• Discovered radium and polonium and
developed means to separate it
• Refused to patent work for money
• Developed unit of radioactivity
– 1 Ci = 37,000,000,000 disintigrations/sec
• There was no “cure” for her radiation
 Marie Curie

• 1867-1934
• Known for her
discovering and
separating radium and
polonium
• Shared Nobel prize in
physics, 1903 and full
prize in chemistry, 1911
– (First to receive two
prizes)
 Who was it?

• Born in 1978
• Isolated protactinium with Otto Hahn in
1917
• Worked with Hahn on behavior of beta
rays
• Helped discover fission with Hahn and
Strassman
• “Meitnerium” named after her (elm 109)
 Lise Meitner

• 1878-1968
• Spent much of
career working with
Otto Hahn
– Helped discover
fission with Hahn
and Strassman
– Discovered elements
with Hahn
 Who was it?
• Born in Lennep, Germany, 1845
• Worked on thermal conductivity of crystals
• Discovered X-rays
• Unit of radiation named after him for dose
(R)
• He had the “will” to do it
 William Röentgen

• 1845-1923
• Discovered x-rays in
a cathode tube
experiment
• Won Nobel prize in
physics in 1901
 Refrigerator
• The refrigerator was invented to help
keep food from spoiling in the heat.
• Carl von Linde invented the refrigerator
in 1876.
• Carl von Linde was from Germany.
 Airplane
• Wilbur and Orville Wright spent many years
building balloons and kites before they built
the first airplane.
• Their invention was very special because it
was the first flying machine.

Flying Kite
 The Flyer
• The first flight took place on December
17, 1903 and lasted 12 seconds.
• The Wright Brothers’ plane, the Flyer,
was an important invention because it
marked the beginning of human flight.
 The First Car
Henry Ford wanted to change transportation
in the world.
He designed the first car and used factories to
build many cars in a short amount of time!

Many people could pay to

own one of his Model T cars!
 New Cars
Cars have gotten faster over the years.

They cost more money, but they are safer

than the old Model-T cars.
 Telephone
• Alexander Graham Bell designed the
telephone in 1876.
• He wanted a faster way to talk to others
who were not nearby.
• His success allowed for all people to

 
communicate quickly!
                                              
 Improving the telephone!
• Over the years, inventors have tried to
make the telephone better.
• Phones that cost less let many people
own one in their home.
• Cell phones allowed people to take
their phone with them wherever they
go!
 Vacuum Cleaner
• Many people created several designs
for the vacuum cleaner.
• This invention helped clean rugs,
floors, and other dirty areas indoors.
• Over time vacuums have become more
powerful and clean better.
 Braille
• Louis Braille was blinded as a child and
he wanted a way to read.
• He invented a system of raised dots
that could be read using the fingers.

 
• Today, this method is still used by
people who are blind.
                      
• Electric light bulb
• Thomas Edison
• 1879
• U.S.

 
•                      
Pencil
• Nicholas Jack Conte
• 1795
• France
• Battery
• Alessandro Volta
• 1800
• Italy

• Pen
• Lazlo Biro
• 1938
• Hungary
• Colored Television
• Peter Goldmark
• 1940
• U.S.

• Match
• Robert Boyle
• 1680
• U.K.
• Typewriter
• William Burt
• 1829
• U.S.

• Motorcycle
• Gottlieb Daimler
• 1885
• Germany
• Bicycle
• Kirk Patrick McMillan
• 1839
• U.K.

• Computer
• Charles Babbage
• 1835
• U.K
• Radio
• Henrich Hertz
• 1888
• Germany

• Jeans
• Levi Strauss
• 1872
• U.S.
Electronic Flat Iron
Henry Seeley
1882
U.S.

Compass
Alexander Neckam
1187
U.K.
• Contact Lens
• Adolph E. Fick
• 1887
• Germany

• Revolver
• Samuel Colt
• 1835
• U.S.
• Sewing Machine
• Barthelemy Thimonner
• 1830
• France

• Elevator
• Elisha Otis
• 1851
• U.S.
• Adding Machine
• Blaise Pascal
• 1642
• France

• Atomic Bomb
• Otto Frisch
• 1939
• Australia
• Vacuum Cleaner
• Ives McCarfrey
• 1871
• U.S.

• Escalator
• Jesse Reno
• 1892
• U.S.
• Barometer
• Evangelista Torriceli
• 1643
• Italy

• Fax Machine
• Arthur Korn
• 1907
• Germany
 Did you know?
• August is National Inventors' Month.

• The first patent was issued in 1790 to

Samuel Hopkins for a new way of making
soap!

• Kleenex tissue was first created to be a gas

mask to use in World War I.

• Benjamin Franklin created bifocals because

he hated wearing two pairs of glasses!

• Toilet paper was invented by Seth Wheeler

in New York!