The Creative Engineer The Art of Inventing
The economic growth and strength of a nation are directly related to the ability of its people to make discoveries and their ability to transform these discoveries into useful products. Ninety percent of the increase in output per capita in the United Sta
- PDF / 32,644,833 Bytes
- 391 Pages / 439.37 x 666.14 pts Page_size
- 102 Downloads / 175 Views
THE CREATIVE ENGINEER
The Art of Inventing Winston E. Kock Acting Director The Herman Schneider Laboratory of Basic and Applied Science Research University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio
PLENUM PRESS· NEW YORK AND LONDON
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Kock, Winston E The creative engineer. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Inventions-History. 2. Creative ability in technology. I. Title. T20.K59 600
77-20220
ISBN-13: 978-1-4615-8794-1 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4615-8792-7 DOl: 10.1007/978-1-4615-8792-7
© 1978 Plenum Press, New York Softcoverreprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1978
A Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation 227 West 17th Street, New York, N.Y. 10011 All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilmip.g, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
PREFACE The economic growth and strength of a nation are directly related to the ability of its people to make discoveries and their ability to transform these discoveries into useful products. Ninety percent of the increase in output per capita in the United States from 1909 to 1949 has been held to be attributable to technological advances. In this book, we examine the ways in which a number of important new technologies came into being and review the characteristic traits of inventors who create new technologies. Ways are suggested that could enable young and old alike to become more creative, and the various benefits they can thereby reap are also discussed. A high level of creativity is an important asset for a nation, and therefore a knowledge of ways to increase inventiveness can be of great value. University of Cincinnati President Warren Bennis has noted that "creativity is something most of us seem to lose, or let atrophy, as we leave childhood."· To "rediscover it," he continues, "we must find ways of re-creating our sense of wondering why, of heightening, even altering, our consciousness." Thus the earlier in life one seeks to enhance his creativity, the more successful the results are likely to be. We therefore stress, in these discussions, the importance of parents' urging their children to become creative, so that their lives will be made fuller, happier, and more rewarding. But the process of influencing youngsters is not an easy one, because the bright, up-and-coming young person demands that he be shown by many examples that his parents' advice is sound. • Warren Bennis, University of Cincinnati Horizons, p. 21 (January 1974). v
VI
PREFACE
In this connection, one of my long-time friends, Nobel Laureate Luis Alvarez, pointed out to me recently that the majority of books on creativity have been written by authors who have not demonstrated extensive creative abilities. Because Alvarez has, over the years, been aware of my numerous inventions, he encouraged me to describe in great detail my various experiences in the fields of invention and cre
