Chapter 1.  The World around Us

Things you will learn about in this chapter are as follows:

• How things around you work
• How to ask questions when you are learning something new
• How to carefully record your observations

Have you ever wondered how things around you seem to talk to each other? How does your garage door know when to open? How does your night-lamp know when to switch the light on and off? How does your computer connect to the Internet and download interesting videos?

All the problems in the world are solved by one word-invention.

The word In-ven-tion originates from the Latin word Inventio, which means finding out. Human beings are called intelligent as they are able to understand, communicate, and change their surroundings. People who make these changes are called inventors.

Since prehistoric times, inventors have held a great power over the rest of humanity. Imagine a world without fire! Humans would not have been able to defend themselves or cook food. Imagine a life without wheels, where humans had to carry heavy weight on their backs. Every inventor has had some positive contribution to the society. It is cool to be an inventor. Inventors are no less than superheroes.

However, becoming an inventor is not an easy task, but so wasn't humans visiting the moon! Every human has the ability to be curious, ask questions, understand, learn, team-up, and build a solution. All it takes is taking one step at a time, just like climbing a set of stairs. Always imagine your solution at the top of a flight of stairs, break down your problem into small questions, connect those questions to your existing knowledge base, learn more from your available resources-be it friends, books, elders or internet. Expand your knowledge in related fields, figure out your solution. Try to build your solution, if it works, there you go, you have an invention! If not, think harder, question more!

And you young makers are invention-superheroes! Isn't it cool?