LESSON 4: WIDGET PRODUCTION:
Producing More, Using Less
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Introduction

In the lesson, "Widget Production," you participated in a simulation and learned about different ways to produce a good. You played the role of a craftsperson or a specialist. Some of you invested in your human capital and some invested in capital resources to produce your widgets.

In this portion of the lesson you will take a quiz to review the major concepts you learned making widgets. Then you will search the web to learn about different inventors and how their inventions increased productivity. An audio interview with Adam Silver will talk about the importance of increasing productivity and what it means to you. Finally, you will identify a situation where an increase in productivity could alleviate a problem and create a way to solve the problem.

Part I

Take a quiz to review the major concepts you learned about making widgets.

Part II

Visit the web site http://web.mit.edu/invent/www/archive.html

Working with a group, locate information on your assigned inventor and answer the following questions:

1. What did your inventor invent?
2. What problem did this invention solve?
3. How did this invention increase productivity?
4. What was the impact of the increase in productivity?
5. What businesses or industries evolved as a result of this invention?

Share your findings with your classmates. Answers

Part III

Sometimes inventions are created to increase productivity but never become marketable solutions. To learn about one of these inventions, The Self-Waiting Table, visit the web site: http://colitz.com/site/wacky/wackyold.htm for a picture of the self-waiting table and http://colitz.com/site/55677/55677f.htm for a description.

Answer these questions:

1. What was the purpose of the self-waiting table?
2. How would this invention increase productivity?
3. What would be a cost of using the self-waiting table in your home or restaurant today? What would be a benefit?
4. Restaurants today do not use the self-waiting table invention. What do they do that is similar to increase productivity?

   Answers

Part IV

Working with a partner, identify a situation where an increase in productivity could alleviate a problem in your school, home, or community. Create a way to increase productivity to solve this problem.

Talk with your teacher if you need help in identifying a problem.

Prepare a report that includes the following information:

1. Statement of the problem
2. Explanation of how your invention solves the problem and increases productivity
3. Model or drawing of your invention and description of how it works
4. List of the costs and benefits of implementing your invention to solve the problem

Share your report with your classmates.

Extensions

Rube Goldberg Inventions

Rube Goldberg was a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, sculptor, and author. Through his 'inventions,' Rube Goldberg discovered harder ways to achieve easy results. He believed that there were two ways to do things, the simple and the hard way, and that many people preferred doing things the hard way.

To see some of Rube Goldberg's inventions visit http://www.rube-goldberg.com/html/gallery.htm.

Select one of Rube Goldberg's inventions and create a more efficient solution to the problem.

A Rube Goldberg Machine Contest is held yearly. To see some past problems and information on the contest go to: http://www.rube-goldberg.com/html/contest.htm.

Homer Price, a Literature Connection

Locate a copy of the book, Homer Price, by Robert McCloskey in your school or public library. Read the chapter, "The Doughnuts."

Answer these questions:

1. What machines did Uncle Homer buy for his luncheonette?
2. Why was he interested in all these machines?
3. How did these machines increase productivity in the luncheonette?
4. This book was first published in 1943. How many of Uncle Homer's labor saving devices are in use today?

Answers