David Stockdale Permissions Specialist. ASK magazine ... 7 (TC) Gallo Images/Alamy Stock Photo, (LC) David Middleton; 9
Can Simple Inventions Solve Big Problems?
®
Volume 16, Number 2
February 2017
Liz Huyck Editor Meg Moss Contributing Editor Karen Kohn Senior Art Director Pat Murray Designer David Stockdale Permissions Specialist ASK magazine (ISSN 1535-4105) is published 9 times a year, monthly except for combined May/June, July/August, and November/December issues, by Cricket Media, 70 East Lake Street, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60601. Additional Editorial Office located at 7926 Jones Branch Dr, Ste 870 McLean, VA 22102. Periodicals postage paid at Herndon, VA, and at additional mailing offices. One-year subscription (9 issues) $33.95; Canadian subscriptions add US$15.00 per year (includes GST/HST; GST # 128950334). Prices subject to change. For subscriptions, address changes, and adjustments, email
[email protected], or write to P.O. Box 6395, Harlan, IA 51593-1895, or call 1-800-821-0115. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to ASK, P.O. Box 6395, Harlan, IA 51593-1895. February 2017, Volume 16, Number 2 © 2017, Carus Publishing dba Cricket Media. All rights reserved, including right of reproduction in whole or in part, in any form. Address correspondence to Ask, 70 East Lake Street, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60601. For submission information and guidelines, see cricketmedia.com. We are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or other material. All letters and contest entries accompanied by parent or guardian signatures are assumed to be for publication and become the property of Cricket Media. For information regarding our privacy policy and compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, please visit our website at cricketmedia.com or write to us at CMG COPPA, 70 East Lake Street, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60601. Grateful acknowledgment is given to the following publishers and copyright owners for permission to reprint selections from their publications. All possible care has been taken to trace ownership and secure permission for each selection. Cover Illustration © 2017 by Dave Clark Photo acknowledgments: 2 (BC) WaterFrame/Alamy Stock Photo; 3 (RB) South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology-www.iceman.it; 7 (TC) Gallo Images/Alamy Stock Photo, (LC) David Middleton; 9 (RT) LifeStraw; 10 (BC) © Rolex Awards/Kirsten Holst; 11 (RC) Courtesy of Practical Action; 12 (LT), (RC) courtesy of MIT D-Lab; 16 Waraporn Surakaising/Shutterstock.com; 17 (TC), 18 (LT), (LB), (BC), (RB), 19 (RB) courtesy of Bakeys; 20 (TC) Douglas Garcia, (CC) photo by Eldon Martin, (RC) tomap/ Shutterstock.com, (LB) Alistair Scott/Alamy Stock Photo, (BC) courtesy of ECOTEC; 21 (LT) Gallo Images/ Alamy Stock Photo, (RT) Rahel Sarid, (CC) Doodlecraftblog.com, (RC) Lisa Steele/Fresh Eggs Daily, (RB) Courtesy of Dan Cullum; 22-23, 32 artwork © and TM Rube Goldberg Inc. All Rights Reserved. RUBE GOLDBERG® is a registered trademark of Rube Goldberg Inc. All materials used with permission, rubegoldberg.com. Printed in the United States of America From time to time, Ask mails to subscribers advertisements for other Ask products, or makes its subscriber list available to other reputable companies for their offering of products and services. If you prefer not to receive such mail, write to us at ASK, P.O. Box 1895, Harlan, IA 51593-895.
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Departments
2 Nosy News 4 Nestor’s Dock 28 Bot’s Mighty Math 29 Ask Jimmy and The Bug 30 Contest and Letters back cover: Marvin and Friends
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page 17 Suggested for ages 7 to 10.
Features 6 12 13
Inventing with Less Meet Amy Smith Someday by A. G. Nious
16 Eat
this Spoon
by Elizabeth Preston
20 22
10 Uses for a Plastic Bottle Not-So-Simple Inventions
24
The Mad Inventor’s Workshop
page 10
by Rube Goldberg
by Marvin and Bot
page 27
page 21
by Elizabeth Preston
U.S. e h t n a h t r e ld O Sharks a
on record was n so r pe t es d ol The . That’s ho lived to 122 w an om w h c Fren g compared to in h ot n ’s it t bu impressive— ks. Greenland shar rctic ks live in cold A e Greenland shar slowly. But som y rr rr ve ow gr k oceans and e scientists thin ad m h ic h w s, are enormou time. To live for a long st u m ks ar sh the studied learn more, they the eyeballs of dead
looked for an ey h T . ks ar sh d Greenlan mmon on that was co rb ca of pe ty unusual 50s and 1960s, 19 e th g n ri du ound on Earth Sharks born ar s. st te b m bo ecial thanks to me of these sp so ed rb so ab e es. that tim eir developing ey th to in s om at ed carbon ks they examin ar sh e th of w A fe s, ese carbon atom th of ls ve le h had hig 0 years born around 6 e er w ey th g gured meanin ze, scientists fi si r ei th om Fr k ago. an average shar out how much r. From that, grows each yea at the they estimate th nd sharks largest Greenla years are about 390 as old old, and maybe ck as 512. Good lu fitting all those ake! candles on a c
I think I need more cakes!
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art © 2017 by Keith Bendis
Everyone greet the sun!
HOW SUNFLOWERS F OLLOW THE SUN Young sunflowers
always face the sun. As the sun travels across the sky each day, the flowers tu rn from east to west to follow it. How do they do it? Scientist s have discovered that sunflowers use internal clocks to pu ll
off this trick. Thei r stems grow a little bit taller on the east sid e during the day, whi ch bends the flowers gradually from east to west. At night, th e stems grow on the west side, bending th e flowers back towar d the east. Keeping th eir
faces to the light helps these plants grow larger than flowers that always face the same way.
Can I have my coat back now?
How to Dress Like an Iceman
In 1991, tourists discovered a frozen body in the mountains of Italy. He’d been there for 5,300 years. Nicknamed the Iceman or Ötzi, he was dressed all in leather and fur. Now scientists are studying that clothing to learn about the lives of ancient humans. Researchers took DNA from Ötzi’s clothing and gear. They learned that the Iceman wore the skins and furs of five different kinds of animals. His leggings, loincloth, coat, and shoelaces came from sheep, goats, and cattle. Ötzi’s people probably farmed these animals, just like humans do today. But his hat was made from bear fur. And the quiver that held Ötzi’s arrows came from a deer. Someone must have hunted or trapped these wild animals to make the Iceman’s outfit complete.
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This swing set is really wobbly.
I see the problem, Phil. This leg isn’t touching the ground. I can fix that.
We need to add some adjustable braces...
A solar powered motor for the winch... and a robot to push you.
and cables and counterweights to pull it up steady.
Plus a cushion for a safe dismount. 4
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Once we’ve fixed the structure, maybe we could improve the looks too?
Good design needs a theme.
What about color? Red would make a bold statement.
This swing set is kind of wobbly.
There, all fixed.
Should we make it out of powder-coated steel or carbon fiber nanotubes?
Can we paint the rock red?
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g n i t n e v n I Less of everything but brains!
with
LESS
art by Dave Clark
E
veryone needs clean water, cooked food, and maybe some light at night to read or work. But not everyone can afford water treatment plants and power stations. Are there simpler ways to get people what they need? Inventors around the world are taking up the challenge to make light, cook food, and clean water for just pennies a day. Here are some of their big ideas for doing more with less.
Night Light How do you get light when the sun goes down?
Light from Motion
A dynamo is a simple tool that turns motion energy into electricity (by spinning a magnet inside a coil of wire). A small dynamo moved by the wind, or a water-wheel, or a bike can make enough electricity to power a light or a computer. A car battery can store the electricity for use later. You do have to buy a dynamo and battery, but then the electricity is free. 6
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art © 2017 by Dave Clark
How about lightning bugs in a jar!
I need a brighter light.
What’s that for?
Hurry! It’s dark in here.
Light Weight
Bottled Light
For a really cheap light, all you need is a clear plastic bottle, a little bleach, and some glue. Fill the bottle with water, add a drop of bleach to stop algae, and glue the bottle half in, half out of a bottle-sized hole in the roof. Instant light! It only works in the day—but it can brighten up dark homes a lot.
Sun in a bottle!
This light uses gravity to get power. To start it, lift up a bag of sand or water (or anything heavy) attached to one end of a chain. The weight of the bag slowly pulls a toothed wheel around inside the light, one notch at a time. That spins a dynamo, which makes electricity to light a lightbulb.
Sunlight at Night
Solar lanterns don’t cost much and can make light all night. A solar panel on top charges up its battery during the day. At night the battery powers an LED light. Once you’ve bought the lamp, there is no extra cost for electricity or kerosene, and no nasty smoke.
Old Light Tricks
Before electric lights were invented, people put shiny metal pans behind candles or gas lights to make them look brighter. To get a bright work light, they set a round bottle full of water near a window or a candle. The bottle acted like a lens to focus light on a single spot.
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A Cool Drink of Water Many people around the world get their water straight from rivers or wells. Sometimes that water is not very clean and makes them sick. Are there ways to get clean water without having to pay a lot for it? Sand Soak Electric Chlorine
Is that why they add chlorine to pools?
Adding chlorine is an easy way to kill germs in water. And chlorine can be made pretty cheaply in a simple lab by running salt water through an electrically charged pipe. I thought it was for the taste.
An earth-inspired way to purify water is to let it soak through layers of sand and gravel in a big jar, or even through a bare clay pot. As water seeps through the small spaces, dirt and germs get trapped and eaten by friendly bacteria. A layer of charcoal can soak up other pollutants.
Cloth Clean
Cholera is a nasty illness caused by tiny parasites that live in water. One way to keep them out of your drink is to pour contaminated water through four layers of thin cotton or silk cloth (such as a sari). The fabric traps plankton in the water, which in turn trap the cholera.
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Sun Scrub
Another way to clean water is to lay clear bottles or bags full of water out in the sun. The heat and UV rays will kill off the germs in about a day.
Super Sipper
The Life Straw is a water filter that cleans as you drink. Just plunge it into a filthy puddle and slurp. These straws are simple to use and last for many months. Inside is a filter with very small holes that only let water through, no bacteria. They do take a bit of fancy technology to make, but if you make a lot of them, they don’t cost much.
Twig A-Peel
Or use a twig. The layer just under a tree’s bark is full of tiny tubes that carry water up from the roots, but are too small for bacteria. That gave Rohit Karnik a great idea—plug a water tube with a peeled twig, and pour your water through it. Instant filter!
MUCH easier!
Mud, yum! Why not make it useful AND fun!
Hold the Salt
When water evaporates, only the water molecules go up into the air as vapor. Heavier germs, pollution, and salt stay behind. So to make fresh water, put a dome over dirty or salty water and set it in the sun. As it heats up, the water will evaporate, hit the dome, and run down the sides as drops of fresh water. It’s not fast, but it is cheap!
Water Wheels
Once you’ve got your water, how are you going to get it home? Clever round water containers make it easy to move a whole lot at once. That means fewer trips to the well and more time for other things, like inventing.
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Cooking Dinner Cooking over a wood fire is simple, but destroys trees and makes a lot of smoke. Is there a better way?
My solution is to just eat peanut butter.
Less Is More
There are many designs for stoves that use less fuel and make less smoke. They work by helping the fire get hotter, so the fuel burns completely. The African jiko stove has holes in the bottom of the pan to let air in and ash out, so the charcoal burns its hottest.
Cooking Rice with Rice This stove burns rice husks left over from rice growing—a cheap fuel, since they’re usually thrown out. The stove actually has two fires—one at the bottom, burning husks to release methane gas, and one at the top, burning the methane to cook food.
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Instant recyling!
Hot Rocket
The rocket stove gets its name from its tall, narrow shape and the hot flame at the top. Twigs to feed the fire go into a hole at the bottom. The chimney is surrounded by sand, so it gets very hot—so hot that even the smoke burns. This simple design uses about half as much wood as an ordinary cookstove and makes very little smoke.
Charcoal on the Cob
Charcoal burns more cleanly and with less smoke than wood. Usually, charcoal is made from wood. But some engineers from MIT have figured out how to make charcoal from corncobs, sugarcane stalks, and other farm waste. Just heap the cobs into an old oil drum with holes in the bottom, set it on fire, and wait for it to get hot enough for the smoke to burn. At the right moment, seal it so no air gets in. The result is a charcoal that can be pressed into pellets to use in stoves.
So—to make charcoal, you burn wood to get burnt wood, that you burn as fuel instead of wood?!?
Sounds odd, but it works.
Desert Fridge
Cooking is much more fun if your food is fresh and tasty. The zeer pot can keep food cool in hot, dry places without electricity. It’s simple to make—just set a clay pot inside a bigger clay pot and fill the space between them with wet sand. As water seeps through the wall of the outer pot and evaporates, it pulls heat out of the inner pot, cooling what’s inside. Instead of spoiling in a day or two, food can stay fresh for a week in a zeer pot.
Sun Baked The sun is pretty hot—why not let it do the cooking? A solar oven uses shiny panels to reflect sunlight onto a pot or box. This can get hot enough to boil water or bake bread— though it’s slower than a stove and can’t be used at night.
Good ideas are made to share! Once a clever new idea takes off, it often spreads on its own, as people see their neighbors making light with bottles, or taking fewer trips to get water, or not coughing while they cook.
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i t m h S y m A t e e M
ti m e s , s i m e m o S pl
W
er
hen Amy Smith was studying to be an engineer, her teacher asked the class to build a better hot glue gun. Other students got to work adding extra features. Amy took out all but two parts. And her simpler glue gun worked better. Now Smith teaches at MIT in Cambridge and runs a program, called D-Lab, looking for ways to improve life for people without much money. Students in Smith’s lab have helped to turn many clever ideas into real devices, including a bike-powered grain mill, corncob charcoal, a no-electricity baby incubator, and a mirrored my hel pot that uses the sun to ps dig a we l l . sterilize medical tools, to name just a few. “Sometimes people don’t think what I do is real engineering,” The best ideas often come Smith says. “It’s so simple. But from engineers and local people sometimes simplicity is harder than complexity.” working as a team. She teaches her students to talk with people, ask questions, and listen. What’s the problem they need to solve? How will an invention be used? What After seeing Smith quickly happens when it breaks? And is there shell an ear of corn with a simpler way? They also travel to test a plastic sleeve she picked up in Africa, villagers their ideas in the real world. Simple picture instructions show in Guatemala were soon anyone how to make corncob D-Lab likes to spread good ideas and making their own versions charcoal in a steel drum. out of metal cans. give local people the tools they need to keep inventing on their own. After all, each village knows best what solutions will work for them. All they need is a little help getting there. As Smith says, “We’re trying to foster innovation everywhere, with everyone.” And when everyone is an inventor, what a world that will be!
te r i s b et .
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Someday art by Jeff Harter
Someday I am going to be a great inventor. But for now, I have to get to school.
A
art © 2017 by Jeff Harter
nd I’m almost out the door when my brother calls “Hey Ada, we have to put away the Legos!” Rats! We were supposed to do it last night, but I accidentally flattened the Lego shoebox to use as a sled. Oops. Someday, I’m going to invent a computer-controlled Lego picking-up drone that will sort all the pieces by color and type. I’ll put in voice control so you can yell out and it will bring you any block you need when you’re building. It will be so cool! “OK, but let’s hurry!” I say. As I open the closet door the empty shoe holder swings back and forth. The shoes are, um, elsewhere. That gives me an idea... “Hey, we can put them in this!” There’s a pocket for each size brick. Good enough until I can build my robot drone. “Argh!” As I’m zipping up my coat, the zipper pull breaks off! There’s just a little hole that I can’t grab. “Mom, do we have any extra zippers?” Or maybe... I need something like a hook. Or a bendy wire, like...a paperclip! I grab one from the desk, bend the end out to fit it through the grip hole, then bend it back again. Pretty good! It’s even pull shaped. Zip! Outside everything is covered in ice. Slipping around, I get a great idea for self-heating boots with springloaded spikes for slippery days. My fuzzy mitten sticks to the icy railing. How silly is that! Mittens stick to ice, but shoes slip! But the mitten gives me an idea. I go back inside and get an old scratchy pair of my dad’s socks. I put them on over my shoes and step outside again. It looks a bit funny, but I don’t slip! Good enough until I can work on my super boots.
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At school we have a math quiz, but I’m not worried. It’s 9 times tables, and last night Grandma showed me a neat trick. Spread out your fingers, and put down the finger for the number you want to multiply by 9 (so for 3 times 9, put down the 3rd finger on the left hand). Then the answer is just the number of fingers on either side—2 7! Or 3 6! How cool is that! It only works for 9 times, but still. And I was going to invent a whole computer program for doing multiplication tests and everything.
I guess during the test Fiona was chewing both gum and her hair, because suddenly she shrieks, “AAAh! I have gum in my hair!” What a mess. “Use ice to freeze it off!” says Robin. “Mayonnaise is better,” says Jovan. But I know what works best—peanut butter! I won’t tell you why I know this. Luckily, I have a peanut butter sandwich today. I scrape some off, goosh it in, and sure enough, the gum gets soft and we can squeeze it out with a paper napkin. She does smell like peanut butter, but who minds that?
Use a comb to clean Velcro!
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“Thanks for saving my hair!” Fiona says at lunch. “Anyone want some of my jam roll?” Yum! But how can we cut it? No one has a knife, they’re not allowed in our school. What we need, I think, is a foldable mini-super-laser cutter that you can dial to cut anything into any shape… While I’m thinking about that, I remember my uncle once cut cheese with a funny wire with handles instead of a knife. I don’t have any wire, but thanks to my dentist I DO have some pretty wiry dental floss. And what do you know? It cuts the jam roll pretty well. Though not as well as a laser, of course.
After school, Grandma picks me up. She’s brought me a cup of cocoa. Yum! Her car is kind of old and doesn’t even have cup holders. I take off my shoes in the car so I can relax my toes while I sip my cocoa. I look down at my shoe. There’s a hole where my foot goes in. Kind of a cup-shaped hole…I reach down and… “Hey, Grandma, look! My shoe can be a cup holder!” “Well, look at that,” she says. “But I think I will keep my shoes on when I’m driving.”
Old lotion pump bottles are great for filling water balloons.
After dinner I have my favorite dessert, a root-beer icey pop. I like to eat mine by the wood stove where it’s toasty warm—even though that makes the ice pop drip. Someday I’m going to invent a dripless ice pop, with a super-absorbent handle that sucks in the drips and then you can squeeze it out and drink them. As I’m planning out my invention, licking drips off my arm, my brother comes in with a mini muffin. He doesn’t like ice pops. He peels away the paper cup…that gives me an idea. I snag it, poke the end of the ice pop stick through it and slide it up— “Look, Mom,” I say, “No more drips!” “Cool!” says Mom. She’s knitting some new socks for Dad, while Mr. Fluffy the cat chases the yarn all over. He is having fun, but it annoys Mom. “Hey,” I say. “When I’m an inventor I’m going to invent a cat-proof yarn-holder-dispenser.” “Great!” she says. “Will it be done soon?” It’s a new idea so I hadn’t really given it much thought. “Pretty soon,” I say. There’s a funnel sitting on the table. I was using it to fill the salt shaker. I wonder…I pick up a ball of yarn and put it in the funnel, with the string coming out of the bottom. It fits pretty well. There’s even a loop so it could hang on a hook, away from Mr. Fluffy. “Maybe this will work until I finish my device.” “Thanks!” says Mom. To kill a sneeze, rub the roof of “Excellent invention!” says Dad. Wrap tape around a frayed shoelace end to get it through the hole!
your mouth with your tongue!
Invention? I never have any time for inventing. I’ll start tomorrow.
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text © 2017 by Elizabeth Preston
Eat This Spoon
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Imagine you’re at a picnic, enjoying some spicy noodles and fruit salad. For dessert, you have a slice of cake. Then you top off your meal by eating your fork. I don’t know where to start!
by
E li z
abeth Preston
T
hat’s the vision of an Indian company called Bakeys. They want to replace plastic forks and spoons with ones made out of food. This could cut down on how much plastic people use and throw away. Someday spoons might even come in your favorite flavor.
Use It and Lose It How much plastic have you thrown out or recycled today? Did you use a water bottle? A drinking straw? A grocery bag? A candy wrapper? Every year, Americans toss out around 35 million tons of plastic. Most goes into landfills, where plastic doesn’t break down for a very, very, very long time. Some finds its way into the oceans, making huge patches of floating plastic trash.
Out of all the plastic waste in the world, Indian chemist Narayana Peesapaty was especially worried about plastic utensils. Peesapaty worked hard on projects to help farmers and the environment. He also knew that Indians throw away 120 billion plastic forks, knives, and spoons every year. He thought there must be a better way. Why not make them out of food instead? In 2006, he started experimenting with ways to make edible spoons. His wife, Pradnya Keskar, was his partner and “spoon taster.” In 2011, Peesapaty opened a spoon company called Bakeys.
A Spoonful of Sorghum Bakeys uses a simple recipe to create its spoons. It starts with flour made from a grain called sorghum, with wheat and rice flours mixed in.
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Goodbye, Plastic
Many inventors around the world are trying to solve the problem of plastic trash. Some are working on new kinds of “compostable” plastic that will break down when put into a trash heap with water, bacteria, and rotting food. Others are trying to find microbes that will eat ordinary plastic, so they can add them to trash heaps. Still others are looking for alternatives to plastic, such as using paper or hard gelatin to wrap food. In the meantime, simple changes like using a refillable water bottle and remembering to bring your own bag to the store can help a lot too.
Workers knead the flour with water to make a dough and then shape it into spoons. Then they bake the spoons until they’re hard. A Bakeys spoon is sturdy enough to handle your cold ice cream, hot tea or soup, and anything in between. (Though if you leave it sitting in liquid for a while, it might get soggy.) In its package on the shelf, it can stay crispy for as long as two years. You can
The dough is rolled out and cut into spoon shapes, then baked hard. The flour is made from plants that don’t need much water, which helps farmers and the Earth. 18
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also munch on a Bakeys spoon as a snack, like a cracker. The spoons are meant to be used one time, not washed and reused. But if you’re too full to eat your spoon after your meal, you can put it in a compost pile, or just throw it in the dirt. It should
decompose in a week—unless bugs or animals eat it first! In India, Bakeys sells its spoons in packs of 100. One package costs 275 rupees (about 4 U.S. dollars). The company used to bundle each batch of spoons in plastic, but switched to a paper wrapper to cut down on plastic even more. Besides the plain spoons, Bakeys also makes flavored ones. A sweet spoon has a little sugar mixed into the dough. There’s also a savory spoon that’s made with salt and spices. The savory spoon is Peesapaty’s favorite, but Keskar says she likes the sweet ones best. They’ve also tried making spoons using colorful vegetables like beets, carrots, and spinach. Keskar says these veggie spoons are tasty, and they’re hoping to have them for sale soon.
Spoons for Everyone Bakeys started off small, with just Peesapaty and Keskar working together. In early 2016, the company started “crowdfunding,” or raising money from the public. When news about Bakeys spread online, people were eager to chip in money. The company hoped to raise $20,000 on the website Kickstarter. But thanks to enthusiastic customers, it quickly raised more than 10 times that much.
Peesapaty and Keskar were overwhelmed. “It was like the sky opening up,” Keskar says. The people who had donated money wanted Bakeys spoons in return. But the company didn’t have equipment that could crank out new spoons that quickly. Peesapaty invented a new machine that could make more spoons, but the machine isn’t working perfectly yet. So the company is still trying to catch up and send spoons to all the customers who are waiting for them. Once they work out the kinks, though, Peesapaty and Keskar have big plans for the future. As their company grows, they want to start making and selling more than just spoons. They’re planning to add edible chopsticks, forks, and even salad bowls for sale sometime in 2017. The company also hopes to start manufacturing on other continents so they can easily ship their utensils to people in different countries. You might be seeing one of these spoons on your table soon—and munching it down a little later.
Make a pizza flavored spoon next!
Chocolate!
Mango!
I’m going to need a bigger oven.
Keskar can’t wait to taste the next exciting spoon flavor.
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Millions of plastic bottles are thrown out every day. Some get recycled to make things like plastic furniture and cozy fleece fabric. What else can you do with them to keep them out of the trash?
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Plant veggies.
S we
ep
th
e
ya r
d.
Go bowling!
Build a house—or a greenhouse.
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Uses for a Plastic Bottle
B rin
. inside g l i ght
Make a rocket!
Wa
te
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t
he
t
n.
.
th
ke Play music!
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Ma
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a
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Trap fli es.
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s n o i t n e v n I e l p m i S o S tart by Rube Goldberg
No
Not again!
R
ube Goldberg was an American cartoonist popular in the 1920s who liked to draw hilariously complicated gadgets meant to do simple tasks. He was poking fun at inventors a bit, and also at Americans’ great love of new inventions, however silly. These days, many schools and museums hold Rube Goldberg machine-building contests. Usually there’s a goal, such as blowing out a candle in no less than 20 steps. Points are given for how many steps the device takes (the more the better), how complicated and goofy it is, and whether it actually works.
Here’s an original Rube Goldberg plan for a “Self-operating Napkin”—would you like to install one in your lunchroom? (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (F) (G) (H) 22
As you raise your spoon to your mouth, it pulls a string, which jerks on the ladle, throwing a cracker past the parrot. The parrot jumps to get the cracker, tipping the perch and spilling the seeds into a pail.
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(I) The extra weight in the pail pulls a cord, (J) which flicks on a candle-lighter, (K) that sets off a rocket, (L) causing a curved knife (M) to cut the string, (N) allowing a pendulum with napkin attached to swing back and forth in front of your mouth, wiping off your chin. Now, reset for the next spoonful...
Some inventors like to find the simplest solution to a problem. Other inventors—not so much.
I like the way you think!
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The Mad Inventor’s art by Mark Hicks
art © 2017 by Mark Hicks
The art of inventing is mostly about ideas. But it also helps to have the right tools to turn your ideas into real, working inventions. These tools don’t need to be fancy— in fact, you can probably set up a pretty good inventor’s workshop just from stuff lying around your house. It often helps to have a special space set aside for tinkering, where you can lay out your tools and leave projects you are working on. It could be a spot in a basement or garage, or you can store your workshop in a big box and spread it out only when you’re working.
How about some water balloons?
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Workshop
“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”
—Thomas Edison
cardboard tubes, springs, bits of wood, dowels, drinking straws, chopsticks, bubble wrap, clothespins, wine corks, popsicle sticks, modeling clay, aquarium tubing, PVC pipe scraps, dental floss, coroplast (old yard signs), panel foam insulation—these last two are light and easy to cut, better than cardboard
My favorite tool is a pizza cutter.
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Make It Yours What you keep in your invention box will depend on the kind of tinkering you like to do.
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You have sprinkles, candles, and a hole punch.
I invent fun.
ng g! i r e k Tin r inventin r o f Tips e no rules fo 1
“It’s your turn to clean the hallway.”
oblem. ood pr g a d Fin What down. it w o to rr And na re you trying a ou exactly r solve? If y ust o d e r v e o t r bet imp uild a b ter? t o e t b t wan it be l il w ow mop, h
ar art? t s There o ere t h w But
. Brainstorm h 15 it w p g u Try comin ute, no in m in a solutions Or pick w crazy. d ask, matter ho andom an r t a g in idea?” someth at like my “How is th like a duster? Let m How is gu tion loose to spark ina g a im your different r find a o s a e id oblem. new g at a pr in k o lo f o way
3
4 Make a breadboard.
Once you think you hav e a good idea, test it out with a model (which inventors call a “breadboard”). Th is won’t look anything like the finish ed product—it’s just to see if the basic idea works. So, if you have an idea for a cat-powered duster, you could glue some dusters to sticks to see if walking like a cat around the floor will actually clean it.
2 Look ar ound at products, similar and at d ifferent ones. What fea tures do they hav How are e? they like your pote idea? Wh ntial at could you do different ly?
ngineer. or et stuck If you g e out how ur can’t fig uld work, ho s a part lps es it he ar sometim il s apart im ld you to take u o c What . s e ic v e d r? do bette se-e 5 Rever
6 Learn new skills.
7 Build, test, reb uild, rep Test the eat.
m it works odel, adjust it, and test the way again un longest you wan t part of t. This is often il inventin tested m g! Thom t h ore than e as Ediso for light 6,000 d n’s lab ifferent bulbs be fo m that wo rked. Ex re they came u aterials p p with o ect your as you p ne lay arou idea to c nd and ways to find new hange a lot do thing or bette s. discover r an entir Sometimes you ely diffe might rent ide a!
Ask around for advice— chances are you know someone who can show you how to use a hot glue gun or make a buttonhole. Or you might find a how-to video online.
. ototype ild a pr u B ou’ve 8 think y it’s u o y n whe out, Finally, thing figured model y r g e v orkin w got e . a e k ma ototype n—a pr show time to io t n e v in to of your at you’ll use h like and w k is o ill lo This w it t ha people w l work. il w it how
enting! v n i t e g — Now
Bot's
Dice Numbers In a lot of board games, you roll two dice to tell you how many spaces to move or what to do next. Each die is a cube, with six square sides. The sides are numbered from 1 to 6, shown as dots. With two dice, you can roll any total from 2 (both dice show 1) to 12 (both dice show 6). But the dice don’t have to be numbered in this way. Just cover each side with a sticker and write in your own set of numbers. You can repeat numbers if you want. And you can even leave a face blank, for zero. Both dice don’t even have to be the same. Once you have your new set, work out which totals you get when rolling
28 a s k
the two dice. Are there some totals that you cannot get? Try the new dice with a game that you have played with normal dice. How does the game change? Here’s a surprising set you can make: One die has sides with the numbers 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, and 4. The other die has sides with the numbers 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8. What totals do you get using these two dice? It turns out that you can get every total from 2 to 12, just as you do with normal dice. So, using these dice in a game where only totals matter doesn’t change the game. It’s fun to try out different ways of numbering dice. You could even end up inventing a whole new game.
text © 2017 by Ivars Peterson
by Ivars Peterson
Hey, Jimmy! Julian N. in Montana wants to know, why do cows need three stomachs?
They don’t! Cows actually have just one stomach. But it does have four parts.
R. omasumwater removal
intestine
3
1 rumengrass storage
esophagus
2
4 abomasumdigesting
I’ve noticed that cows don’t chew very much when they graze.
reticulumready for re-chewing
Yep—they gulp down as much as possible. The first part of a cow’s stomach is a grass storage tank called the rumen. It holds grass for later chewing.
A bit...but more nutritious. The second part of the stomach, the reticulum, traps big food chunks. Cows burp up these chunks, called cud, chew them, then re-swallow. For hours and hours! Until everything’s nice and mashed.
Like saved gum?
The abomasum is the most like a human stomach. It squirts in digestive juices. And from there the food goes on to the small intestine.
And the fourth part?
Microbes in the rumen and reticulum break up the toughest parts of the grass (and make lots of cow burps). Then the mush passes into the third part of the stomach, the omasum. Its job is to remove water.
I see the reticulum also collects things the cow shouldn’t have eaten, like rocks and bits of fence.
So why is it so complicated?
Grass is hard to digest! It takes a lot of chewing, chemicals, and microbes to get nutrients out. And all that takes a lot of stomach.
Join me for a glass of former grass?
Write to us at: ASK 70 East Lake St. Suite 800 Chicago, IL 60601
or have your parent or guardian email
[email protected]
a s k 29
In our September issue we asked you to come up with a rhyme or picture to help you remember something important. Thanks to all you brainy boffins for sharing your tricks!
Send your letters to Ask Mail, 70 East Lake St., Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60601, or have your parent/legal guardian email us at
[email protected].
Eliana H., age 10, New Jersey
Manu A., age 11, Massachusetts Anglina L., age 11, California
Dear Marvin, I have a good trap for you. Right inside the door have a plate that goes down when you step on it and pushes on a seesaw that will go down but the other end will go up and hit a piece of wood that will go forward and hit a bucket of water that will fall on SOMEONE’s head. Raccoons 30 a s k
creep me out but if they do pranks and ride skateboards and throw water balloons they are awesome. Your friend who is hungry for cupcakes, Corinne I., Washington
Dear Corinne, Ha ha! That sounds excellent! Maybe I can add a string that pulls down a shelf of metal pans to make an enormous noise, so SOMEONE will think there’s a thunderstorm.... Have fun with this month’s contest! Wishing you many cupcakes, Marvin
Types of sea turtles Joanne C., age 9
Kaylee W., age 9, California
Dear Ask, Can you mix two different types of DNA? For example, I love chicken skin and hate artichokes. If you combine their DNA, you could get a big ball of chicken skin with many layers. You could pull off the skin, eat it and there is another layer underneath! You keep eating until you
Lili, age 11, Colorado
Ingrid H., age 9, Texas
come to a chicken heart. What do you think? Max W., age 9, California Dear Max, I salute your highly inventive approach to the culinary arts! I look forward to a future filled with pizza trees, burrito fish, and chocolate milk cows! In Anticipation, Rats
Dear Ask and Company, I was at the beach and found an oyster. It was alive. Are many octopuses called octopuses or octopi? Emi S., age 9, Virginia Dear Emi, The correct plural is octopodes— but we always just say octopuses. Lively, Puck and Sis
a s k 31
February Contest
My Marvelous Machine Rube Goldberg liked to make up complicated ways to do simple things. For this month’s contest, we invite you to invent your own Rube Goldberg way to make toast (or do some other simple task). The more steps and the sillier they
Contest Rules:
are the better! Since you don’t actually have to build it, feel free to include rockets, elephants, fire engines—go wild. Send us the plan for your complicated contraption, and we’ll post the most preposterous in an upcoming issue of Ask.
1. Y our contest entry must be your very own work. Ideas and words should not be copied. 2. Be sure to include your name, age, and address on your entry. 3. Only one entry per person, please. 4. If you want your work returned, enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
5. Y our entry must be signed or emailed by a parent or legal guardian, saying it’s your own work and that no one helped you, and that Ask has permission to publish it in print and online. 6. For information on the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, see the Privacy Policy page at cricketmedia.com.
7. E mail scanned artwork to ask@ cricketmedia.com, or mail to: Ask, 70 East Lake St., Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60601. Entries must be postmarked or emailed by February 28, 2017. 8. We will publish the winning entries in an upcoming issue of Ask.
Ahoy Elvis! Mail carriers are the best! They bring brothers magazines, sisters can’t wait for the rest. Fair seas to ye! Clara R. of the Greenish Thumb, New England. P. S. Avery, recently a squirrel ate some seedlings of
mine. Can you give him/her a long, long time-out?
Eat”? In squirrel? You can see where misunderstandings arise. But I’m sure whoever the squirrel was, he or she is grateful for the delicious lunch. So, thank you! And you’re welcome to share any of our nuts you find. Greenly, Avery
32 a s k
Dear Clara, Apologies on behalf of squirrel-dom—though I must point out that generally, if a plant is outside, we assume that it’s available for eating. Did your seedlings say “Property of Clara Please Don’t
If I could fly I would go to India and see the Ganges River.
Bug
Out
It looks nice and warm. Ladybug@Cricket I’m sick of being stuck inside all winter. What can we do that’s fun?
Point the way!
Plush@Ask Let’s invent something! I’ll go get my toolbox.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
tl a C ri cke
A heart bird for me? How sweet!
nd
ia
—S
Hey, look at this funny-shaped cat I found in Spider!
we
Spider@Spider I just invented a great joke: What sweet is never on time?
Aw, a cat valentine, for me? Muchas gracias!
et s f or t he sweet
2017 6th Annual Global
Invent It Challenge
Think about a real-world environmental issue and come up with a planet-friendly solution. Submit your invention by
No purchase necessary to win.
For entry information and eligibility, go to Challenges.Epals.com/InventIt2017
Sam@Spider Let’s fix climate change! It can’t be that hard.
March 17, 2017
Ratsputin@Ask Any sweet that I don’t have yet.
Cricket@Cricket ChocoLATE!
text and art by Thor Wickstrom
Hey, Whatson, what do you think of my latest invention?
et's Hmm... L k. loo have a February 2017
Volume 16
Number 2
cricketmedia.com
$4.95
MARV I INVEN N'S TION a simp le devic e
to gent rock m ly arvin's h a mmock and pr ovide s weet nourish ment
G.
F. I.
A.
H.
B.
C.
D. E.
rats gr abs pizz a (A) pu hammock lling str (B) relea ing, roc sing aco king (C) tippin rn whic g scale, h a v e ry stack closing flame (E rule boo s ), burnin k ( D ) g , b s l t owing ring and (F), bum releasing ping lat c h b alloon (G), rele chute (H asing ca ) and in ndy dow to marv n in's open mouth (I ).
Looks great, Marvin. What could possibly go wrong? So could you build it for me? I'm worn out from all this thinking!
