Category Archives: Inventions

Electrical Battery

By | |
1 Comment
Electrical Battery

Store up facts like a battery.

  • Batteries are a power storage cell that are used to store power in the form of chemical or electrical energy to create electricity when placed in a circuit.
  • Batteries have a positive (+) and negative (-) pole to allow electricity to flow out of the battery.
  • Approximately USD $48 billion was spent globally in the battery industry in 2005.
  • Batteries were invented by Italian Alessandro Volta, a physicist, in 1800, who designed a structure of plates of copper, zinc and brine-soaked paper that is known as the voltaic pile.
  • The original battery invention was not suitable for everyday use, leading to more practical liquid wet cell designs in 1836, and, later in the 1800s, dry cell designs that use a gel substance instead of liquid.

Battery, 3 volt, 203E. AA+, AAA+, Circle, Reusable, Rechargeable, Green, Pink, Energizer, Industrial, Varta, Dry Cell, Electrical,

  • Batteries function by multiple electromagnetic reactions creating electrons in the negative pole, transferring into electricity in the positive pole.
  • There are two main types of batteries – disposable single use batteries; or rechargeable multiple use batteries that can be charged to restore power in the battery.
  • Disposable batteries can discharge by themselves, losing up to 20% each year when stored at recommended room temperature.
  • Batteries can be very dangerous, or even fatal, if used incorrectly, as can cause explosions via short circuiting, leak toxic chemicals, or cause tissue damage if swallowed.
  • Batteries can be made at home, but produce impractical currents, using everyday items such as potatoes, coins, vinegar or salt water.

 

Bibliography:
Battery (Electrical), 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_(electricity)
Brain M, Bryant C & Pumphrey C, How Batteries Work, 2011, How Stuff Works, http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/everyday-tech/battery1.htm

Amazon:     

Hook and Loop Fastener

By | |
Leave a comment
Hook and Loop Fastener

Hook into these facts about hook and loop fasteners.

  • Hook and loop fasteners are two different textile strips or shapes that have numerous tiny hooks on one strip or shape, that grip onto tiny loops on the other strip or shape.
  • ‘Hook and loop fasteners’ are also known as ‘touch fasteners’, and are also commonly referred to by the original brand name of the product, ‘Velcro’.
  • Hook and loop fasteners hold together by pressure or can be detached from each other by force, and make a sound of ‘ripping’ when being detached.
  • Hook and loop fasteners were invented in Switzerland by native George de Mestral, an engineer, with the idea being born in 1941, although it took him ten years to produce a successful mechanical process to make the product and he applied for a patent for it in 1951.
  • Hook and loop fasteners are based on natural burr seeds, said to be from burdock plants (Arctium), that hook with strength on clothing and animal fur, and the brand name ‘Velcro’ comes from the French words ‘velours’, meaning ‘velvet’ and ‘crochet’ which means ‘hook’.

Hook and loop fastener, velcro, black, white, strips, rectangular, Ten Random Facts, Invention

  • Some brands of hook and loop fasteners can hold 79 kilograms (175 pounds) with only 26 square centimetres (4 square inches) of the material.
  • Hook and loop fasteners are generally made from nylon, usually with the addition of polyester, although they can be made from other materials like Teflon for special purposes.
  • Hook and loop fasteners sometimes have a self adhesive backing and can be attached to items with this method or other glue, or they can be sewn onto fabrics with thread, and sometimes they have hooks on one side and loops on the back.
  • Hook and loop fasteners did not become significantly popular until the 1970s and 1980s, and can now be found in most homes, on clothes, shoes and bags, although it has numerous other uses, in vehicles, toys, furniture, space shuttles, hospitals and more.
  • Hook and loop fasteners can unintentionally collect dirt, hair and fluff, and the loops and hooks can wear after excessive use.
Bibliography:
The History of Hook and Loop Fasteners, n.d, Speedtech International, Inc, http://www.speedtechinternational.com/history-of-velcro.aspx
Hook and Loop Fastener, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hook_and_loop_fastener
Velcro, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velcro

 

Amazon:  

Cabinet

By | |
Leave a comment
Cabinet

Every home needs a cabinet.

  • Cabinets are generally rectangular pieces of furniture that are primarily used to store items such as valuables, clothes and food items.
  • Cabinets are traditionally made of wood, but can be made of materials that are synthetic.
  • Cabinets are often called ‘cupboards’ and those that store clothes are also known as ‘wardrobes,’ ‘closets’ and ‘armoires’.
  • The word ‘cabinet’ in French originally meant ‘small room’ and in the 1600s, the term referred to such a room which often contained books and art, and ‘cabinets of curiosities’, rooms full of interesting collections, also emerged around this time.
  • Cabinets were originally boxes or chests, invented to store paper documents or things of value.

Cabinet, glass, speaker, wooden, Ten Random facts, Cupboard, drawers, doors

  • Until 1650, cabinets were not commonplace, and were generally owned only by the elite, due to the cost and the lack of perceived need.
  • Cabinets, during the Industrial Revolution from the 1700s through to the 1800s, entered mass production, making them more affordable and popular.
  • Cabinets usually have compartments that either have doors, drawers, or are left open.
  • Cabinet making became a favoured hobby after World War II, and those that make cabinets are known as ‘cabinet makers’.
  • Cabinets are sometimes carved with a relief pattern or design, or have a workbench at the top or side, and they can be built into a structure or stand alone.
Bibliography:
Blackburn G, A Short History of Cabinets, 2005, Fine Wood Working, https://www.finewoodworking.com/woodworking-plans/article/a-short-history-of-cabinets.aspx
Cabinetry, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinetry

Amazon:     

Gas Cylinder

By | |
Leave a comment
Gas Cylinder

No balloon helium without gas cylinders.

  • ‘Gas cylinders’ are also known as ‘gas tanks’ and ‘gas bottles’.
  • Gas cylinders are hollow storage that is made to withstand highly pressurised gas.
  • Gas cylinders are typically made of non-welded and non-corrosive steel or carbon fibre, and often contain composite materials.
  • Depending on the country, gas cylinders must be tested and checked often to ensure the cylinder has not become weak or corroded, as this can be very dangerous.
  • Gas cylinders that contain helium gas have to withhold the highest interior pressure.

Gas cylinder, helium, compressed, balloon, nozzle, brown, Ten Random Facts

  • When storing, gas cylinders should be stored upright and chained down to prevent the cylinder from falling over.
  • Gas cylinders are sometimes colour coded in some countries to indicate the type of gas it may contain, although one should not rely on the colour coding as it is best to always check the label.
  • Animal bladders were used as types of early gas cylinders in the 1700s.
  • Seamless steel pipes were invented in the late 1800s in Germany by two Mannesmann brothers, Max and Reinhard, which were quickly used as gas cylinders, and are similar to today’s versions.
  • The gas contained in a gas cylinder usually exits via a valve at the top of the container.
Bibliography:
An Industry under Pressure, 2005, GAWDA, http://www.weldingandgasestoday.org/index.php/2005/06/an-industry-under-pressure/
Gas cylinder, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_cylinder

Amazon:     

Acrylic Paint

By | |
1 Comment
Acrylic Paint

Express art beautifully using acrylic paint.

  • Acrylic paint is a paint that is made from the combination of pigment and acrylic polymer emulsion, which contains acrylic resin and water.
  • The resin used in acrylic paints was first patented in 1915 by a chemist and inventor Otto Röhm from Germany.
  • Acrylic paints began to be developed in the 1920s to the 1940s and were able to be bought commercially in the 1950s.
  • Acrylic paints is a practical paint when cleaning, as it is water soluble, making it generally easily removed with water, but once it is dried on canvas, it can prove difficult to remove.
  • Acrylic paints have characteristics that can be easily modified with mediums or water, which can affect the way it looks when dried, as well as its texture, and hardness.

Acrylic Paint, Dry, Liquid, Yellow, Blue, Green, Red, White, Tray, Tube, Easy art. Ten Random Facts

  • There are two main grades of acrylic paint, and they generally reflect the quality and how much pigment exists in the paint, with ‘artist’ or ‘professional’ grade paint being the best quality and including more pigment, with a ‘student’ or ‘studio’ grade being a cheaper paint with less pigment.
  • Acrylic paints can often resemble oil paints or water paints, or have the unique texture of acrylics.
  • Acrylic paints are often used in schools as they can be produced with non-toxic ingredients, and they are also used professionally by artists, as well as being the base or the main ingredient of water-based house paints.
  • Acrylic paints were popular during the pop art, abstract art and photorealism periods in the 1900s, and have remained very popular due to their flexible nature, providing less cracking; versatility; and their quick drying characteristics.
  • Acrylic paint is often used in techniques such as repetitive paint coats and is often glossed with a gloss medium for finishing and sealing the work.
Bibliography:
Acrylic Paint, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylic_paint
History of Acrylic Painting, 2014, ARTmine, http://www.art-mine.com/for-sale/paintings-submedium-acrylic/history-of-acrylic-painting

Amazon:      

Speedometer

By | |
Leave a comment
Speedometer

Do not drive over the speed limit while reading these speedometer facts.

  • ‘Speedometers’ are also known as ‘speed meters’ and historically, ‘velocimeters’, that were typically made from metal alloy materials, but are now partly or mostly made from plastics.
  • Speedometers are devices which measure the speed of a vehicle that travels on land, and most automobiles have been equipped with one since 1910.
  • In 1888, Josip Belušić, an inventor from Europe’s Croatia, invented the first electric speedometer.
  • On 7 October, 1902, eddy current speedometers were first patented by Otto Schulze, a German inventor, and these magnetically driven instruments have been the most popular speed measuring instruments in the last hundred years.
  • The ‘visible’ part of the speedometer has a moving needle surrounded by spokes and numbers, and the location of the needle on the device indicates the speed.

Speedometer, White, km/h, electric, 20 to 220, Ten Random Facts, Car

  • Eddy current speedometers have a cable that is connected to gears, usually in the transmission, that connects to a magnet which affects the needle on the instrument, that indicates the vehicle’s speed.
  • The type of speedometers in new use today are commonly electronic, invented in the 1980s and 1990s, involving sensors and electromagnetic pulses that are read by a computer.
  • Inaccuracy of speedometers most commonly occur due to faults, and differences in tyre diameters, with very minor errors occurring for reasons such as temperature.
  • Some speedometers use the Global Positioning System, or GPS, to calculate speeds, with accuracy depending on the accuracy of the GPS.
  • Leonardo da Vinci designed concepts of a speedometer type of instrument, and ancient civilisations had crude ways of measuring speed and distance.
Bibliography:
Kretschmann, Speedometer, 2014, How Products are Made, http://www.madehow.com/Volume-7/Speedometer.html
Speedometer, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speedometer
Vintage Speedometers, 2013, Rare Car Relics, http://www.rarecarrelics.com/vintage_speedometers.php

Amazon:     

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...