Sign-In
Cart
Forks, Phonographs, and Hot Air Balloons: A Field Guide to Inventive Thinking
Hardcover
Sports GeneralGeneral Psychology
Please select the version of book you would like to purchase.
ISBN10: 019506402X
ISBN13: 9780195064025
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: Feb 4 1993
Pages: 296
Weight: 1.34
Height: 1.12 Width: 6.38 Depth: 9.49
Language: English
ISBN13: 9780195064025
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: Feb 4 1993
Pages: 296
Weight: 1.34
Height: 1.12 Width: 6.38 Depth: 9.49
Language: English
How do inventions take shape? How did the inventors of the sewing needle, the hammer, or the wheel find their ideas? Are these creations the result of random events, or are hidden principles at work? Using everyday objects most of us take for granted--from forks and Velcro to safety pins and doorknobs--noted cognitive psychologist Robert Weber takes a fascinating look at how our world of inventions came into being, and how the mind's problem-solving abilities gave them the forms they have.
As an archaeologist studies shards of pottery for clues about an ancient culture, Weber examines the many forms of inventions, from stone knives to genetically engineered mice, and finds a rich record of the work of many minds over time--a record of human creativity and problem-solving handed down through the centuries. He offers various methods for analyzing what mental paths might have been taken by these inventive minds. In the test for design, for example, he ponders how an item would work if various components were shuffled or constructed differently, revealing how the optimal shape of the invention was discovered. He challenges the reader to engage in thought experiments to explore how the horse-drawn cart, the waterscrew, or the fork might have taken shape over many years, through the efforts of successive inventors and adapters. In stripping these simple artifacts to the bone, Weber finds a hidden intelligence at work in everyday objects as well as recurrent heuristics (basic principles or rules of thumb) that are common among many of our most successful inventions--heuristics powerful enough to generate endless new ideas. Weber ranges across the work of Archimedes, Leonardo da Vinci, the Wright brothers, as well as grade-school children who have won national awards for their inventions, revealing that the same principles are at work in the discoveries of all of them. Basic principles of invention, he writes, govern how we think, solve, and manipulate ideas, whether mechanical or mental, real or mythological.
Weber's playful, original, and insightful look at the inventions around us reveals a hidden intelligence in everything from screws to tea bags to synthesizers--an intelligence based on principles of creativity and problem-solving. His fascinating account sheds light on how the mind hones its most original thoughts and products, and provides a field guide for how we can tap into our own creativity.
Weber's playful, original, and insightful look at the inventions around us reveals a hidden intelligence in everything from screws to tea bags to synthesizers--an intelligence based on principles of creativity and problem-solving. His fascinating account sheds light on how the mind hones its most original thoughts and products, and provides a field guide for how we can tap into our own creativity.
1 different editions
Also available
Also in
Sports General
The Formative Years of Relativity: The History and Meaning of Einstein's Princeton Lectures
Gutfreund, Hanoch
Renn, Jürgen
Hardcover
$66.00
The Science Magpie: Fascinating Facts, Stories, Poems, Diagrams and Jokes Plucked from Science
Flynn, Simon
Paperback
From $9.99
Every Dog Deserves an Adventure: Amazing Stories of Camping with Dogs
Camping with Dogs
Tracosas, L. J.
Hardcover
$23.74
Big Fan: Two Friends, 82,490 Miles, and the Wild, Wonderful Sports We Love
Posnanski, Joe
Schur, Michael
Hardcover
$31.50
I Told You So!: Scientists Who Were Ridiculed, Exiled, and Imprisoned for Being Right
Kaplan, Matt
Hardcover
$28.50
Long Range Shooting Handbook: Complete Beginner's Guide to Precision Rifle Shooting
Cleckner, Ryan M.
Paperback
$23.70
Pardon My Book: Ten Years of the Best (and Worst) in Sports from Pardon My Take
Big Cat
Commenter, Pft
Hardcover
$33.25
The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance
Gallwey, W. Timothy
Paperback
$19.95
This Is about Running. This Is Not about Running.: Lessons for Between and Beyond the Start and Finish Line
Bennett, Chris
Hardcover
$28.50
The Magical Game: The Spirit and History of Baseball's Superstitions, Rituals, and Curses
Baird, Addy
Hardcover
$26.10
The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts
Schaerlaeckens, Leander
Hardcover
$31.35
A Pox on Fools: The True Believers, Grifters, and Cynics Who Convinced Us to Reject Vaccines
Levenson, Thomas
Hardcover
$25.20
The Great Shadow: A History of How Sickness Shapes What We Do, Think, Believe, and Buy
Bauer, Susan Wise
Hardcover
$27.00
The Ultimate Survival Medicine Guide: Emergency Preparedness for Any Disaster
Alton, Amy
Alton, Joseph
Paperback
$18.99
The Diet-Proof Body: 5 Simple Habits to Lose Fat, Keep It Off and Escape Diet Prison for Good
Harrison, Trent
Paperback
$18.99
The Plunge: Maverick Swimmers, an Unlikely Quest, and the Transformative Power of Cold Water
Ballard, Chris
Hardcover
$27.00
The Playbook: The Hidden Forces Shaping Winners and Losers in the Modern NFL
Clegg, Jonathan
Robinson, Joshua
Hardcover
$28.49
Compete: Developing a Mental Playbook for Performance Under Pressure in Sport
Abrahams, Dan
Paperback
$28.74
The Power of Life: The Invention of Biology and the Revolutionary Science of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
Riskin, Jessica
Hardcover
$28.80
Relegated: One American's Pints-And-Pies Journey from the Top to the Bottom of English Football
Smith, Todd
Hardcover
$26.10
The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science
Sobel, Dava
Paperback
From $10.99
Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection (Large Print Edition)
Green, John
Paperback
$28.50
Gun Trader's Guide, Forty-Fifth Edition: A Comprehensive, Fully Illustrated Guide to Modern Collectible Firearms with Market Values
Sadowski, Robert A.
Paperback
$28.49
The Ultimate Soccer Jersey Collection: Iconic Kits from the World's Greatest Game
Football Shirts, Classic
Hardcover
$33.25
Pheasant Tail Simplicity: Recipes and Techniques for Successful Fly Fishing
Mathews, Craig
Chouinard, Yvon
Mazzo, Mauro
Paperback
$23.75
Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf
Penick, Harvey
Hardcover
$25.65
Take Me to Your Leader: Perspectives on Your First Alien Encounter (Large Print Edition)
Tyson, Neil DeGrasse
Hardcover
$56.55
Your Health: A Corrective System of Exercising That Revolutionizes the Entire Field of Physical Education
Pilates, Joseph H.
Paperback
$18.95
Our Moon: How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are
Boyle, Rebecca
Paperback
$20.90
Friday Night Lights (25th Anniversary Edition): A Town, a Team, and a Dream
Bissinger, H. G.
Paperback
From $10.99
2084 and the AI Revolution, Updated and Expanded Edition: How Artificial Intelligence Informs Our Future
Lennox, John C.
Paperback
$26.59
The Powerful Primate: How Controlling Energy Enabled Us to Build Civilization
Ennos, Roland
Hardcover
$27.00
Alchemy: An Illustrated History of Elixirs, Experiments, and the Birth of Modern Science
Ball, Philip
Hardcover
$38.00
String Theory: David Foster Wallace on Tennis: A Library of America Special Publication
Wallace, David Foster
Hardcover
$21.80
Coaching with Heart: Taoist Wisdom to Inspire, Empower, and Lead
Huang, Chungliang Al
Lynch, Jerry
Paperback
$18.99
Your Guide to the 2026 World Cup: Everything You Need to Know about the Players and Teams
Stay, Shane
Paperback
$18.95
The Inner Game of Tennis (50th Anniversary Edition): The Classic Guide to Peak Performance
Gallwey, W. Timothy
Hardcover
$26.60
The Great Math War: How Three Brilliant Minds Fought for the Foundations of Mathematics
Bardi, Jason Socrates
Hardcover
From $19.99
Inside the Owner's Box: Conversations on Power and Leadership in Sports
Rubenstein, David M.
Hardcover
$28.50
Bioinspired: How Nature Made Us Modern, Drives Today's Technological Innovation, and Inspires a Future Worth Inventing
Stier, Samuel Cord
Hardcover
$33.25
Knicker Bonkers: The New York Knicks' Wild NBA Championship Run to End a 53-Year Title Drought
New York Post
Paperback
$18.95
Science of Cycling: Transform Your Ride, Gain Strength, Revolutionize Your Training
Bailey, David
Paperback
$28.50
How to Read Nature: Awaken Your Senses to the Outdoors You've Never Noticed
Gooley, Tristan
Paperback
$16.10
Todo Es Tuberculosis. La Historia de la Infección Más Mortal de la Humanidad / Everything Is Tuberculosis
Green, John
Paperback
$14.20
The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman
Feynman, Richard P.
Paperback
$18.04
Notes on Complexity: A Scientific Theory of Connection, Consciousness, and Being
Theise, Neil
Paperback
$18.00
Interregnum: Inside the Grueling and Glamorous Battle to Become the Next King of Chess
Himelfarb, Jordan
Hardcover
$28.45
The Formula: How Rogues, Geniuses, and Speed Freaks Reengineered F1 Into the World's Fastest-Growing Sport
Robinson, Joshua
Clegg, Jonathan
Hardcover
$28.49
A Year of Forest School: Outdoor Play and Skill-Building Fun for Every Season
Worroll, Jane
Houghton, Peter
Paperback
$18.95
Surviving the Trail: Five Essential Skills to Prepare Every Hiker for Adventure's Most Common Perils
Scanlon, Rob
Paperback
$18.95
Checkmate: Genius, Lies, Ambition, and the Biggest Scandal in Chess (Large Print Edition)
Mezrich, Ben
Paperback
$32.00
Horse Country: Inside the World of Equestrian Style and Sport, from British Dressage to Western Riding
O'Shea-Evans, Kathryn
Hardcover
$57.00
Training for the New Alpinism: A Manual for the Climber as Athlete
House, Steve
Johnston, Scott
Paperback
$33.25
The Age of Alchemy: The Secret History of Chemistry from Ancient Magic to Modern Science
Chapman, Kit
Hardcover
$28.45
Miscalculated Risks: Attacked, Crippled, Paralyzed, Drowning, Unconscious and Freezing in The Wild (Just Not All at Once)
Cooper, Michael
Paperback
$18.04
The Surgeon, the Midwife, the Quack: How to Stay Alive in Renaissance England
Skuse, Alanna
Hardcover
$27.50
Quadrivium: The Four Classical Liberal Arts of Number, Geometry, Music, & Cosmology
Sutton, Daud
Lundy, Miranda
Ashton, Anthony
Hardcover
$24.70
Flashes of Brilliance: The Genius of Early Photography and How It Transformed Art, Science, and History
Burgess, Anika
Hardcover
$33.25