What is the story of a scientist as a child?

The phonograph invented by Edison

Edison is a famous American scientist and inventor. Because he has more than a thousand inventions such as electric lights, phonographs, movies and batteries, people call him He is the "King of Inventions" and "Magician".

Edison's greatest achievement was the invention of the electric light. However, among his inventions, the one that shocked society the most was the phonograph. In the fall of 1877, the phonograph invented by Edison caused a sensation throughout New York. News reporters from various newspapers came like a tide to report this big news. Once the news of this invention came out, it aroused rapid and huge enthusiasm in the society at that time for several months. The railway specially sent a special train to visit it. Many people began to not believe in this invention and suspected that it had hidden something inside that could talk. This thing is deceptive. There was a church bishop who recited a string of technical nouns from the Bible to the radio at top speed. When these nouns were repeated verbatim from the machine, people believed that this thing was real. Not falsely, and with a chorus of surprise, newspapers called the phonograph a miracle of the 19th century.

However, Edison's famous invention was the result of happy accidents.

Once, Edison was working alone in a quiet laboratory to improve the telegraph machine that printed symbols on paper tape. At this time, a monotonous voice from the telegraph attracted him. While trying to eliminate this sound, Edison unexpectedly discovered that it was the sound made by the paper tape under the pressure of the small shaft. As you change the pressure on the small shaft, the height of the tone also changes. This gave him the idea of ??recording and recycling sound with the help of grooves of different depths on the moving carrier.

Coincidentally, when Edison was testing a telephone on another occasion, he discovered that the diaphragm in the microphone vibrated with the sound of words. He found a needle, stood it upright on the diaphragm, gently pressed the upper end with his hand, and then spoke to the diaphragm. Experiments have shown that the higher the sound, the faster the vibration; the lower the sound, the slower the vibration. This discovery further established his determination to invent the phonograph.

A few days later, Edison drew a sketch and immediately started working with his assistant. The main component of the gramophone is a metal cylinder with spiral grooves engraved on the side. It is pressed on a long shaft. A crank is installed on one end of the long shaft. When the crank is shaken, the cylinder will rotate accordingly. In addition, there are two small metal tubes, one end of which is equipped with a membrane plate with a blunt needle tip in the center. After countless modifications, the world's first phonograph was born. Edison recalled: "After I finished speaking a sentence loudly, the machine played back my voice. I have never been so surprised in my life."

When Edison first invented the phonograph, he changed it again and again. Ten years later, he took the phonograph down from the dust on the shelf and continued to improve it. He patented more than a hundred inventions on the phonograph alone. He is a deaf person, so it is amazing that he can invent such a sound-making machine. When we look at today's gramophone, don't forget that it is filled with Edison's countless hard work. In fact, for more than a century, the great wave of civilization and invention caused by the phonograph has been very far-reaching. Record players, tape recorders, video tape recorders, laser audio and video recorders... have come out one after another. Tracing their origins, not all of them came from Edison. great invention?

Edison (1847-1931)

Thomas Alva Edison was a world-famous American electrician and inventor. In addition to phonographs, electric lights, telephones, In addition to his inventions and contributions in telegraph and film, he also has many famous creations and insights in mining, construction, chemical industry and other fields. Edison made about 2,000 inventions during his lifetime, making great contributions to human civilization and progress.

Edison was born on February 11, 1847, in the small town of Milan, Ohio, in the midwestern United States. His father is of Dutch descent, and his mother worked as a primary school teacher and is of Scottish descent. When Edison was 7 years old, his father lost money in the roofing business, so the family moved to Fort Gratiot in the northern suburbs of Huron, Michigan. Shortly after moving here, Edison contracted scarlet fever and remained ill for a long time. The disease was believed to be the cause of his deafness. Edison went to school at the age of 8, but after only three months of studying, he was dismissed by the teacher as an "imbecile" and kicked out of school. From then on, his mother was his "home tutor".

Because of his mother's good education methods, he developed a strong interest in reading. "He not only read a lot of books, but he also read ten lines at a glance and could recite them after reading them." When he was 8 years old, he read the works of Shakespeare and Dickens, the most important playwrights of the English Renaissance, and many important historical books. By the age of 9, he could quickly read more difficult books, such as Parker's "Nature and Nature". Experimental Philosophy. I loved chemistry when I was 10 years old. At the age of 11, he experimented with his first telegraph. To earn money to buy chemicals and equipment, he started working. When he was 12 years old, he got a job selling newspapers on a train, traveling between Port Huron and Detroit, Michigan. While selling newspapers, he also runs a fruit and vegetable business. Whenever he has time, he goes to the library to read. He bought an old printing press and started publishing his own weekly magazine, the Herald. The first issue of the magazine was printed on the train. He used the money he earned to build a chemistry laboratory on a luggage cart. Unfortunately there was a chemical fire and he was thrown out of the car along with his equipment. Another time, when Edison was trying to board a freight train, a conductor grabbed his ears to help him get on. This action resulted in Edison becoming permanently deaf.

In August 1862, Edison used fearless heroism to rescue a boy who was about to be killed on the train tracks. The child's father was grateful for this, but since he had no money to repay him, he was willing to teach him telegraph skills. From then on, Edison became involved with this mysterious new world of electricity and embarked on a scientific journey.

In 1863, Edison served as a telegraph operator at the Stratford Junction Station of the Grand Trunk Railway. From 1864 to 1867, he worked as a telegraph operator in various places in the Midwest and lived a wandering life. His footprints include Stratford, Adrian, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Nashville, Tennessee, Memphis, Louisville, Huron and other places.

In 1868, Edison came to Boston as a telegraph operator. In the same year, he obtained his first invention patent. This is a device that automatically records votes. Edison thought the device would speed up the work of Congress and that it would be welcomed. However, one MP told him that they had no intention of speeding up the agenda and that sometimes voting slowly was politically necessary. From then on, Edison decided not to make any inventions that people didn't need.

In early June 1869, he came to New York to look for work. While he was waiting to be summoned at a broker's office, a telegraph machine broke down. Edison was the only one there who could fix the telegraph, and he got a better job than he expected. In October, he and Pope jointly established a "Pop-Edison Company" to specialize in scientific instruments for electrical engineering. Here, he invented the "Edison Printing Press." He dedicated the printing press to the manager of a large Wall Street company. He wanted to ask for $5,000, but he lacked the courage to say it. So he asked the manager to give him a price, and the manager gave him $40,000.

Edison used the money to build a factory on Ward Street in Newark, New Jersey, specializing in manufacturing various electrical machinery. He worked all night long. He trained many capable assistants, and at the same time, he also happened to meet the diligent Mary, his future first bride. In Newark, he made inventions such as wax paper and mimeograph machines. From 1872 to 1875, Edison invented the double and quadruple telegraph machines, and helped others build the world's first English typewriter.

In the spring of 1876, Edison moved again, this time to "Menlo Park" in New Jersey. Here he built the first "invention factory", which "marked the beginning of collective research." In 1877, Edison improved the telephone invented by Bell earlier and put it into practical use. He also invented one of his pet projects - the phonograph. The telephone and the telegraph "were a revolution that expanded human sensory functions"; the phonograph was one of the three great inventions that changed people's lives. "From the perspective of his inventive imagination, this was his most significant inventive achievement." By this time, he was known as "The Magician of Menlo Park."

While inventing the phonograph, Edison finally made a breakthrough in the research on electric lights after numerous failures. On October 22, 1879, Edison ignited the first electric light with widespread practical value.

In order to extend the life of the filament, he tried again and tried more than 6,000 fiber materials before he found a new luminous body - Japanese bamboo filament, which can last for more than 1,000 hours, achieving the purpose of durability. In a way, this invention was the pinnacle achievement of Edison's life. He then created a power supply system that allowed distant lamps to distribute power from a central power station, a major technological achievement.

His first purely scientific discovery appeared in 1883. While experimenting with electric lamps, he observed what he called the Edison effect: a charge inside a lit bulb traveling from a hot filament through space to a cold plate. Edison patented his discovery in 1884 but did not pursue further research. Other scientists used the Edison effect to develop the electronics industry, especially radio and television.

Edison also attempted to do for the eyes what the phonograph had done for the ears, and this is where the movie camera came into being. Using a strip of George Eastman's newly invented celluloid film, he took a series of photographs and projected them onto a screen in rapid succession, creating the illusion of movement. He first experimented with film in the laboratory in 1889 and applied for a patent in 1891. In 1903, his company produced its first feature film, "The Train Robbery." Edison did much to organize and standardize the motion picture industry.

After Edison moved his laboratory to West Orange in 1887, he founded many commercial companies to manufacture and market his many inventions; these companies later merged into Edison General Electric Company, later known as General Electric Company. Thereafter, his interests turned to fluoroscopy, ore crushers, magnetic separation of iron, batteries and railway signaling devices.

During World War I, he developed torpedo mechanisms, flamethrowers and underwater periscopes.

On October 21, 1929, on the 50th anniversary of the invention of the electric light, people held a grand celebration for Edison. Famous scientists such as Einstein of Germany and Marie Curie of France congratulated him. . Unfortunately, at this celebration, when Edison was giving a speech, he suddenly fainted due to excessive excitement. From then on, his health deteriorated. On October 18, 1931, this scientist who had made great contributions to mankind died of illness at the age of 84.

Edison had a very low level of education, but made such a huge contribution to mankind. What is the "secret" here? In addition to having a curious heart and an instinct for personal experimentation, he also has infinite energy and determination to work hard that are beyond ordinary people. When someone called Edison a "genius", he explained: "Genius is two percent inspiration and ninety-eight percent perspiration." In his "invention factory", he organized people from many different professions There are more than 100 scientists, engineers, technicians, and workers inside. Many of Edison's major inventions relied on the strength of this collective to achieve success. His achievements are mainly due to his hard work, creative talents and collective strength. In addition, his wife also played a very important role.

Chronology of Edison's inventions:

On October 11, 1868, he invented the "voting counter" and obtained his first patent.

In October 1869, he co-founded the "Pop-Edison Company" with friends.

Invented the general-purpose printing press in 1870 and sold the patent rights for US$40,000. Set up its own manufacturing plant in New York.

From 1872 to 1876, he invented the electric telegraph, the automatic repeater telegraph method, the double and quadruple telegraph methods, and manufactured wax paper carbon resistors.

The acoustic wave analysis resonator was invented in 1875.

In 1876, a laboratory was established in Menlo Park, New Jersey - the first industrial research laboratory. It was the origin of the modern concept of a "study group." Invented the carbon rod microphone. Apply for a patent for the telegraph automatic recording machine.

In 1877, he improved the early telephone invented by Bell in Menlo Park and put it into practical use. He obtained three patents: perforated pen, pneumatic stylus and ordinary stylus. On August 20th, what proved to be one of Edison's favorite projects - the phonograph - was invented.

In 1878, Edison claimed to solve the problem of electric lighting. The Royal Society holds a gramophone exhibition. Improved phonographs, designed microphones, amplifiers, aerial speakers, sound engines, tuning engines, microthermometers, taste testers, etc.

Obtained patent for phonograph on February 19th. In July, he went to Wyoming with Professor Parker of the University of Pennsylvania to observe the total solar eclipse, and used the thermometer he invented to measure the overall temperature around the sun. Returned to Menlo Park in August and returned to scientific research and experiments. Britain approves Edison's patent application for "Video Recorder". William Wallace visited Connecticut in September. Started research on inventing the electric light. On October 5, a patent application for a platinum wire "electric lamp" was filed.

In 1879-1880, after thousands of setbacks, the high-resistance incandescent lamp was invented. Improved generator. Design new current distribution methods, circuit alignment and calculation methods. Invented the light bulb holder and switch. Invented the magnetic mineral separation method.

On August 30, 1879, Edison and Bell each demonstrated telephone devices at Saratoga Creek City Hall. Edison's phone turned out to be clearer than Bell's. On October 21, the high-resistance incandescent lamp was invented, which burned continuously for 40 hours. Application for carbon filament lamp patent on November 1st. On December 21, the New York Express reported on Edison's incandescent light bulb. A public light show was held in Menlo Park on December 25 for 3,000 visitors from New York City.

Helicopter research in 1880. Obtained patent rights for electric light invention. Made into a magnetic screener. On January 28, the patent document for "Electric Power Transmission and Distribution System" was submitted. On February 18, "Scribe's Monthly" published the article "Edison's Electric Light", officially announcing the invention of the electric light. In May, the first ship "Columbia" illuminated by electric lights successfully made its trial voyage.

New York Edison Electric Lighting Company was established in December.

1881 New York Fifth Avenue headquarters established. An incandescent lamp factory is established in New York City. Set up manufacturing plants for generators, underground wires, and electric light parts. Experimenting with trolleys in Menlo Park.

The three-wire current distribution system was invented in 1882. Applied for 141 patents. The first central factory was established on September 4. At the end of December, more than 150 small power stations were established across the United States.

A patent for wireless telegraphy was filed on May 23, 1885.

From 1887 to 1890, he improved the cylindrical phonograph and obtained more than 80 patent rights for phonographs. Engaged in manufacturing and selling phonographs, records, talking machines, etc.

The phonograph gramophone was invented in 1888.

Participated in the Centennial Exposition in Paris in 1889. Invented many types of electric railways. Complete the moving movie machine.

1890-1899 Designed large stone crushers and grinders. Personally directed the large-scale development of iron ore using new methods at the Ogden Mine.

In 1891, he invented the "Edison Concentrator" and began to operate his own mining business. Obtained the patent for "Kinet Cinema Projector". The first successful movable motion picture telescope was demonstrated to the public on May 20 at the Edison Laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey.

In 1893, the world's first movie "studio" was built in the courtyard of Edison's laboratory.

On April 14, 1894, the first kinetoscope theater was opened in New York.

On April 23, 1896, the "Vita Projector" was used for the first time to show a film at Coster-Beyer's Music Hall in New York, and it was warmly welcomed by the public.

In 1902, a test using a new type of battery for vehicle power was successful. The range was 5,000 miles and it could travel 100 miles per charge.

In 1903, Edison's company produced its first feature film, "Train Robbery."

In 1909, after ten years of research, the battery was finally successful. Make a fax telegram. Obtained design patents for raw material machine, fine grinding machine and long kiln.

From 1910 to 1914, the disc-type phonograph was completed, with damage-free records and diamond records. Completed talkie machine.

The "disk record" was invented in 1910.

The "talkie" was invented in 1912. Developed into a speech phonograph.

In 1914-1915, the comprehensive manufacturing method of carbolic acid was invented, and a phonograph and a telegraph machine were combined into a remote writing machine. One party's telephone could automatically record the other party's speech. Manufacture benzene, indigo oil, etc. by ourselves.

39 inventions were completed from 1915 to 1918, the most famous of which are torpedo mechanical devices, flamethrowers and underwater periscopes.

Completed the long recording in 1927.

In 1928, rubber was successfully extracted from wild grasses.

The invention of the electric light

Light is a great invention for mankind to conquer the night. Before the 19th century, people used oil lamps, candles, etc. for lighting. Although this broke through the night, it still failed to completely liberate mankind from the restrictions of the night. Only the birth of the generator enabled human beings to use various electric lights to brighten the world, turn night into day, expand the scope of human activities, and gain more time to create wealth for society.

It was the American inventor Edison who really invented the electric light and made it bright. The son of a railway worker, he dropped out of elementary school and made a living selling newspapers on trains. Edison was an extremely diligent person who liked to do various experiments and created many ingenious machines. He was particularly interested in electrical appliances. Since Faraday invented the motor, Edison was determined to create electric lights and bring light to mankind.

After carefully summarizing the failed experience of his predecessors in manufacturing electric lamps, Edison formulated a detailed test plan and conducted tests in two aspects: first, classifying more than 1,600 different heat-resistant materials; second, Improve the evacuation equipment so that the bulb has a high vacuum. He also conducted research on new generators and circuit branching systems.

Edison tested more than 1,600 heat-resistant luminescent materials one by one. Only platinum wire has good performance, but the price of platinum is astonishingly expensive, and more suitable materials must be found to replace it. In 1879, after several experiments, Edison finally decided to use carbon filament as the filament. He sprinkled a piece of cotton silk with charcoal powder, bent it into a horseshoe shape, put it in a crucible, heated it, made it into a filament, put it in a light bulb, and then used an air extractor to remove the air from the light bulb. The light turned on and could be used continuously. 45 hours. In this way, the world's first carbon filament incandescent lamps came out. On New Year's Eve 1879, Lopack Street, where the Edison Electric Light Company was located, was brightly lit.

In order to develop electric lights, Edison often worked more than ten hours a day in the laboratory, sometimes testing for several days in a row. After he invented carbon filament as a filament, he successively tested more than 6,000 plant fibers, and finally Bamboo filaments are selected, burned in a high-temperature sealed furnace, and then processed to obtain carbonized bamboo filaments, which are then installed into the light bulb, thus increasing the vacuum degree of the light bulb again. The light can be continuously lit for 1,200 hours. The invention of the electric light caused the gas stock price to plummet 12% in three days.

Following Edison, in 1909, the American James Curry invented the use of tungsten filament instead of carbon filament, which greatly increased the efficiency of electric lamps. Since then, electric lights have leapt to a new level, and various lamps such as fluorescent lamps and iodine-tungsten lamps have sprung up on the lighting stage.

Lamps turn darkness into light, making the world more dazzling and colorful.

The child who loves to ask why, Edison

On February 11, 1847, in a small town called Milan, Ohio, USA, a round-faced, blue-eyed, light-colored boy The little boy with hair was born. The boy is very handsome and looks very much like his mother. But the boy's body is very thin, he looks frail and fragile, and he is so delicate that it makes people feel distressed. However, his head is surprisingly big, which makes people worry that when he grows up, his neck will not be able to hold it up.

This little boy was Thomas Alva Edison, who later became world-famous as the "King of Inventions". Edison's ancestral home was in the Netherlands. His father, Samuel, was a hard-working farmer, and his mother worked as a rural teacher. He was the seventh in the family and the youngest child, so he was doted on by his mother.

Edison's constitution was relatively weak since he was a child. In the more than a thousand days before he was three years old, he got sick many times and cried loudly so many times. His mother was worried and anxious all day long. Restless. Later, under the patient and thoughtful care of his mother, Edison's body became stronger day by day.

Although Edison was physically weak, he loved to use his brain. He is very curious. He always likes to ask why. When he sees something he doesn't understand, he will ask about it. After asking, he will roll his eyes and think about it.

"Why is there steam on the pot?" "Why does the stool have four legs?" "What is gold?" Fathers are often left speechless by their son's questions.

Little Edison’s interest in “breaking the casserole and asking the truth” was fully recognized by his mother. My mother worked as a primary school teacher. She knew that curiosity is a master key to unlocking the treasure house of mysterious knowledge. Children without curiosity cannot achieve great things. So whenever Edison asked her why, her mother always smiled, enlightened him carefully, and told him the truth. At this time, Edison always tilted his head and listened with his eyes wide open. After listening, a lot of new "whys" would pop up in his mind.

Edison not only loved asking why, but also wanted to try everything himself, and made many jokes.

When he was four years old, once, he and his friends were playing under a big tree. Someone discovered a hornet's nest on the branch of a tree.

"What is it like in the nest?" Everyone shook their heads.

"Why don't we take it down and take a look, okay?" Edison suggested to his friends.

"The hornets will sting, and they will sting you!" The friends all hid far away.

Edison wanted to figure out the mystery, so he found a long branch and dug down the hornet's nest. Suddenly, a swarm of hornets swarmed towards Edison. In a moment, Edison's face was so red and swollen that he could hardly open his eyes. Even so, he still had to see the structure of the hive clearly.

Another time, when I was six years old. One day after breakfast, while my mother was doing needlework, Edison knocked open the door and jumped in, scaring her mother so much that she pricked her hands.

Eddie asked angrily: "Mom, what are the big hens doing lying on the eggs?"

Mom smiled and said: "It's hatching chicks. The mother chicken is He used his own body temperature and body to hatch the chicken doll day by day. "Oh, that's it, it's so interesting." Edison patted his big head with a look of realization. Opened the door and went out.

At lunch time, Edison was nowhere to be seen. The mother was very anxious and the family looked around. It wasn't until the evening that everyone discovered that this little guy had made a "nest" next to the chicken coop in the yard, with several eggs in it. He was lying on the eggs cautiously, motionless.

My mother looked at his concentration and asked, "My child, what are you doing?" "I'm hatching chicks!" He replied seriously.

The whole family laughed so hard that they didn’t expect that he was actually hungry, lying on the eggs from morning to night and “hatching” them for a whole day. It was such a strong interest and superhuman patience that became important factors in Edison's career success.

This is a very interesting story: When Edison learned that hens were hatching chicks, he imitated the hens and squatted in the hay to hatch the chicks. This ridiculous behavior fully reflects his excellent qualities of being good at observation, thinking, and daring to practice.

一

Edison worked almost ten hours a day for decades. When Edison was seventy-five years old, he still went to the laboratory on time every day. A reporter asked him: "Mr. Edison, when do you plan to retire?" Edison said awkwardly: "Oops, I haven't had time to think about this problem until now!"

二

二

Edison was a poor worker before he became famous. Once, his old friend met him on the street and said with concern: "This coat on you is worn out. You should get a new one." "Is it useful? No one knows him in New York. Me." Edison replied nonchalantly. A few years later, Edison became a great inventor. One day, Edison met that friend again on the streets of New York. "Oh," the friend exclaimed, "Why are you still wearing this shabby coat? This time, you have to get a new one anyway!" "Is it useful? Everyone here already knows him. "Me." Edison still replied nonchalantly.

Three

One morning in August 1862, Edison was selling newspapers at a small station. Looking up suddenly, he saw a three or four-year-old boy squatting next to the railway track and playing with stones. A freight train was speeding towards him. Edison said "Oh!", threw down the newspaper, rushed down the platform desperately, and snatched the child out. At this time, the train whizzed past his ears. How dangerous! Edison fell to the railroad track while holding the little boy. His face and hands were cut, but the child was saved.

The little boy’s father is called McKenzie, and he is the webmaster of this station. He is an excellent operator. McKenzie saw this thrilling scene with his own eyes and was so moved that he could not speak coherently: "Thank you... thank you, thank you for saving... saving my child!"

Edison, however, did not care. Smiling, he picked up the newspaper from the ground, patted the dust off his body, boarded the train and left.

The next day, when Edison's train entered the station, McKenzie was already waiting on the platform.

He said to Edison very sincerely: "I have nothing to reward you. I heard that you are very interested in telegraphy. If you are willing, I can teach you the technology of sending and receiving telegraphs and make you a telegraph operator." These words It's right in the heart of little Edison. He happily accepted McKenzie's kindness and followed him to learn the technology of sending and receiving telegraphs.

Edison was very attentive in his studies and made rapid progress. In just three months, he was already very proficient in sending and receiving telegraphs. McKenzie recommended him to work as a telegraph operator at the train station. This unexpected learning opportunity laid a good foundation for Edison's future great inventions. Base.