Week 18 Inventions

This week I learned about the Postcard, the Gatling Gun, Linoleum, and the Ratcheting Wrench.  I will write about these four inventions this week.

The Postcard is a piece of paper that usually has a picture on it.  It can be mailed to other people, which can be a nice surprise.  The way the Postcard works is one writes a message on the back then fills out the address of the person they are sending it to.  After one places the stamp it can be mailed.  The benefits of the Postcard is that it is a quick and easy way to send a little message to someone.

The Gatling Gun is a cannon that can fire off a lot of shots.  This was very helpful in war, because when soldiers would charge, they would be met with a barrage of shots.  It did not take that many people to operate.  That meant that less people could be on the battlefield.  So less soldiers would die of disease in the crowded camps.

Linoleum basically is just dried linseed oil.   Linoleum is a very useful type of flooring because it is easy to clean and can be designed to look like wood or any other nice floor pattern. 

The Ratcheting Wrench is a wrench that can tighten a bolt by turning one way but then if you turn it the other way, instead of untightening the bolt it turns freely.  It is very useful because bolts can be tightened or loosened much faster than with a regular wrench and  it can be used in small spaces.

So finally, my favorite invention this week is the Ratcheting Wrench because I use it to tighten my bike pedal and I can do it much faster than just using my fingers.