(phone rings) – Hi, it’s Doug. Have you ever thought about cool new inventions? Maybe virtual reality headsets that let you explore anywhere in the world? Or cars that can drive on water? How about pet robots that can pick up your toys? Well, someone named Finley has a question about inventions. Let’s give her a call now. (phone rings)
– Hi Doug. – Hi Finley. – I have a question for you. Why is it so hard to make new inventions?
That’s a great question! When I was a kid, I watched shows like Star Trek and saw amazing things like doors that opened automatically and computers that talked back. Guess what? We have those now! You can say, “Okay Google, beam me up,” and it responds! But some things, like flying cars, are still just dreams.
What inventions do you think we’ll have when you grow up? Maybe a robotic arm that does your dishes or jet packs that let you fly. While some of these are being worked on, many inventions are still just ideas. But why is it so hard to make new inventions?
To understand, let’s look at inventors from the past. People like Katharina Paulus, who invented the modern parachute, or Josephine Cochrane, who invented the dishwasher. And don’t forget the scientists at NASA who created the Saturn V rocket to send people to the moon!
First, inventors need a great idea. Sometimes, these ideas seem impossible at first. Imagine Katharina Paulus thinking, “I can jump from a plane and land safely with a parachute!” But having an idea is just the start. Building something that works is the real challenge.
Many people think inventors are geniuses who come up with perfect ideas overnight. But that’s not true! Most inventions involve lots of trying and failing. The scientists who invented rockets had to test and learn from their mistakes many times before they succeeded.
Each time they failed, they figured out what went wrong and made improvements. By being brave and trying again and again, they eventually created rockets that took people to the moon!
The history of inventions is full of stories like this. Not every idea works out, like rocket-powered ice skating or automatic ketchup dispensers. But if we want new inventions in the future, we need inventors who dream big and aren’t afraid to try again and again, learning from their mistakes each time.
Who knows? Maybe one of you will create the next big invention!
Thanks, Finley, for your question. We have something special for you! My friends and I at Mystery Science have made a fun activity where you can invent a new kind of parachute. You can find the link at the end of this video.
For the next episode, I picked three questions from my question jar. You can vote on one: Why do roses have thorns? What is clay made of? Or how do bees make honey? Let me know what you think!
Remember, there are mysteries all around us. Stay curious, and see you next week!
Inventor’s Journal: Start your own inventor’s journal! Draw or write about an invention you would like to create. Think about what problem your invention would solve and how it would work. Share your ideas with a friend or family member and ask for their thoughts. Remember, every great invention starts with a simple idea!
Build a Parachute: Try making a simple parachute using a plastic bag, string, and a small toy or object. Test how well it works by dropping it from a height (with an adult’s supervision). What happens if you change the size of the parachute or the length of the strings? Experiment with different designs and see which one works best!
Invention Hunt: Go on a hunt around your home or school to find inventions that make life easier. It could be something as simple as a zipper or as complex as a computer. Make a list of these inventions and think about how they might have been created. What problem do they solve? Discuss with your classmates or family how life would be different without these inventions.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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(phone rings) – Hi, it’s Doug. When you think of new inventions, what kinds of things come to mind? Virtual reality headsets that let you explore anywhere in the world? Cars that can drive on water? Pet robots that can pick up your toys? Well, someone named Finley has a question about inventions. Let’s give her a call now. (phone rings) – Hi Doug. – Hi Finley. – I have a question for you. Why is it so hard to make new inventions? – That’s a great question. It’s fun for me, as an adult, to look back on the things that seemed futuristic to me as a kid. I’d watch shows like Star Trek and see things like cool, futuristic doors that automatically opened whenever you got close to them. Hey, we’ve got that today! Or computers that respond to voice commands. – Tell me the location of Commander Data. – What? When I was growing up, you couldn’t talk to a computer. But look, we’ve got this now, too. – [Colter] Okay Google, beam me up. – [Google Home] Okay, energize. (electronic whooshing) – [Doug] Other things I saw in movies and shows are things that haven’t been invented yet. Things like flying cars. (engine flares) What kinds of inventions do you think we might have once you’ve grown up? Now would be a good time to pause the video and discuss. You could probably come up with lots of ideas. Who knows what we’ll have? Some amazing things are already being worked on. A robotic arm that does your dishes. Cars that drive themselves. Jet packs that allow you to fly from one place to another. Still, we don’t have any of these things yet. And there are lots of things that no one has even come close to inventing yet. But why not? Why is it so hard to make new inventions? To figure that out, it’s helpful to look at inventions and inventors of the past. Inventors like Katharina Paulus, the inventor of the modern parachute, or Josephine Cochrane, the inventor of the dishwasher, or all of the scientists and engineers at NASA who worked together to invent the Saturn V rocket, a rocket powerful enough to send people all the way to the moon. First, any of these inventors had to come up with the idea. While that might seem easy, keep in mind that some of the greatest ideas are sometimes things that no one even thought were possible. Imagine what it was like to be Katharina Paulus. You’re going to jump out of a plane or a hot air balloon and land on the ground with your feet? Yes, we can do it, she thought. But it’s one thing to come up with an idea. It’s another thing to actually build something that works. How do inventors do that? If you’ve not thought much about this before, it can be tempting to think that people who invent things are just geniuses. They wake up one morning with a brilliant idea in their head, and then they build the thing and, presto, it works, and now we have a new invention. Nothing could be further from the truth. The story of almost every invention is filled with what looks like trying and failing. Again, and again, and again. The scientists and engineers who invented rockets weren’t trying to get these rockets to fail. But they knew that building a huge rocket was something that had never been done before. And rocket fuel is really explosive. Figuring out how to control the amount of rocket fuel being burned is something that NASA could only learn by trying. Each time one of these tests failed, they carefully figured out why and made improvements to their design. By being willing to try again and again, and each time carefully observing and learning from their mistakes, eventually, they figured it out. And we’ve got rockets that have taken people all the way to the moon. The history of inventions is full of stories just like this. People coming up with new ideas for things, building something, trying, and failing, but each time learning from their mistakes so that they can get it right. Not every idea makes it to the finish line. The idea of rocket-powered ice skating might be a good example. Or this automatic ketchup dispenser. But one thing is for sure: If we’re going to have new inventions in the future, it’ll only be possible if there are inventors who dare to dream big and aren’t afraid of trying again and again. Each time, learning from their mistakes. In fact, many of these inventions of the future will be made by one of you watching this. Thanks, Finley, for asking your question. Now, we have something special for this week’s episode. My friends and I here at Mystery Science have created a step-by-step activity where you’ll invent a new kind of parachute. You can find a link to the activity at the end of this video. Okay, for the next episode, I reached into my question jar and picked out three questions submitted to me that I’m thinking about answering. When this video’s done playing, you’ll get to vote on one. You can choose from: Why do roses have thorns? What is clay made out of? Or how do bees make honey? So submit your vote when the video is over. I want to hear from all of you watching. There are mysteries all around us. Stay curious, and see you next week.
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