Invention Research Paper

Plain Elementary School: A School Family - Positively Committed to Excellence"

Greenville County Schools: Building a Better Graduate

Inventions

Dynamite (Alfred Nobel)

Etch a Sketch

Microwave Oven (Percy Spencer)

Penicillin (Alexander Fleming)

Post-it Notes (Spencer Silver)

Super Glue (Cyanoacrylate) (Harry Coover)

Teflon (Roy Plunkett)

Velcro (George de Mestral)

X-ray (Wilhelm Röntgen)

Information to Include

Introduction

Begin your paper with a question, interesting fact, or description that grabs the reader’s attention. Introduce the invention and name the inventor. Let the reader know whether the invention was created on purpose or discovered by accident. Your introduction should make the reader curious about how the invention came to be.

Background: What the Inventor Was Doing

In this paragraph, explain what the inventor was working on before the invention was created. If the inventor was trying to solve a problem, describe that problem or need. If the invention was an accident, explain what the inventor was originally trying to do instead. Include information about the time period and why this work was important at the time.

How the Invention Was Created or Discovered

Describe what happened when the invention was made. Explain the steps the inventor took and what occurred during the process. Tell whether the invention was planned or accidental, and describe what made the result surprising or special. Include details about how the invention works or what it can do.

How the Invention Has Been Used and Changed Over Time

Explain how the invention was first used and how people use it today. Describe any changes, improvements, or new versions that have been made over time. Give examples that show how the invention is still useful or enjoyable.

Why the Invention Is Important

Explain why the invention matters. Describe how it helped people, created something new, or led to other discoveries. If the invention was an accident, explain why it still became useful or important even though it was not planned.

Conclusion

End your paper by summarizing how the invention came to be and why it is important. If the invention was discovered by accident, explain how a mistake or surprise led to something successful. Finish with a strong final sentence that reminds the reader why this invention is special.

Paraphrasing (putting what you have read or heard into your own words)

Paraphrasing

Sample Research Paper

Silly Putty

Have you ever played with Silly Putty and stretched it across the table or bounced it like a ball? Silly Putty was invented by a man named James Wright, and he didn’t mean to make a toy at all. In fact, it was a complete accident.

During World War II, there was a big problem. The United States needed rubber for tires, boots, and other things because a lot of rubber came from places that were at war. Scientists were trying to make a new kind of rubber, and James Wright was one of them. He worked in a laboratory in 1943, mixing chemicals to create a synthetic rubber that could be used for the war effort.

While James Wright was mixing boric acid with silicone oil, something strange happened. Instead of making rubber, the mixture turned into a bouncy, stretchy, and squishy substance. It could stretch a lot, bounce like a ball, and even pick up ink from newspapers. He realized that what he had created was not useful for tires or boots, but it could be a fun toy. This was the birth of Silly Putty, completely by accident.

Since it was invented, Silly Putty has been used in many ways. At first, it became a popular toy for kids in the 1950s. People still use it today to play games, stretch it into shapes, or even copy words and pictures from newspapers. Over time, the colors, sizes, and packaging of Silly Putty have changed. There are even themed versions with glitter or glow-in-the-dark features, but the basic stretchy, bouncy putty works the same way James Wright invented it.

Silly Putty is important because it shows that even accidents can be amazing. It solved the problem of giving people a new kind of toy that is safe, fun, and creative. Kids and adults can use it to play, experiment, and even learn about science. It has lasted for decades and is still loved all over the world.

Silly Putty is a great example of an invention that came from a mistake. James Wright was trying to make rubber, but instead he created a toy that has entertained millions of people. Even though it was an accident, Silly Putty became something amazing that shows how science can lead to surprising and wonderful discoveries.