How Does an Etch A Sketch Sketch?
|
|
An Etch A Sketch. CREDIT: Creative Commons | Ignacio Icke |
In the 1950's Frenchman Arthur Granjean tinkered away in his basement on what he called L'Ecran Magique, the Magic Screen. Voila! He showed the world its first Etch A Sketch at the 1959 Toy Exhibition in Nuremburg, Germany.
Behind the glass screen framed by the familiar red plastic lies a mixture of fine aluminum powder and itsy bitsy plastic beads. The two knobs control a pointy stylus--hidden beneath the glass--that scratches the aluminum off the screen, leaving behind a black trail. Turning the Etch A Sketch upside down and giving it a good shake smooths the powder evenly across the screen, with the help of the plastic beads. Ooh la la!
To save a drawing, the Ohio Art toy manufacturer's technical support team simply says: Don't shake the Etch A Sketch. But Etch A Sketch experts can permanently save true pieces of art by emptying the aluminum out of a frame.
- How Does a Calculator Calculate?
- The Most Amazing Optical Illusions (and How They Work )
- All About Inventions
Follow Life's Little Mysteries on Twitter @llmysteries, then join us on Facebook.
Life's Little Mysteries: Gift Edition Hardcover Book
Uncover the truth behind more than 100 mysteries that surround us every day with our new hardcover book! Perfect for gifts and classrooms, and suitable for all ages. Some of the included mysteries are:
- Why Do Cats Land on Their Feet?
- How Long Does it Take to Make Petrified Wood?
- What Everyday Things Around Us Are Radioactive?
Find out all of this and much, much more in our NEW hardcover book.
It makes a great gift idea for all ages. more info>>
