Mistakes: A Key Part Of Discovery
Imagine you are an explorer searching for a specific country. You have just arrived at what you think is this country after a long and tiresome journey at sea. Although you return home surrounded by the aura of triumph, the world later realizes that you did not in fact find the country you were looking for. In actuality, you have discovered a completely new landmass. This is the story of Christopher Columbus, the famed explorer known for discovering America while in search for India. Columbus's story is just one of the many times where mistakes play a key part in discovery. As Samuel Smiles, a 19th century Scottish author, said, "We learn wisdom from
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failure much more than from success. We often discover what will do by finding out what will not do; and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery." Mistakes are a key part of discovery because they show us what will not work and also, they can cause the birth of revolutionary ideas and inventions. Firstly, mistakes are a key part of discovery because they show us what will not work.
According to the passage "Lost Cities, Lost Treasure", Heinrich Schliemann, a German explorer, was captivated by the idea of finding the lost city of Troy for the majority of his lifetime. One day, Schliemann was given the opportunity to find Troy when Frank Calvert, a British archaeologist, agreed to share his work with Schliemann. This proved to be a tremendous mistake for Calvert but he needed Schliemann's financial aid to carry out his work. In 1871, Schliemann had begun to dig up artifacts and other materials from Troy. However, the way he dug up this priceless treasure greatly damaged the site. Schliemann's irresponsibility lead to the destruction of significant parts of Troy's past that could have been used for further research purposes. Calvert's mistake in trusting Schliemann was a terrible one but it allowed the world to see how carelessness could destroy great things. Thus, Calvert's mistake is justified because it showed the world that carelessness and irresponsibility would not work and would only result in the damage of tools that could be used for greater learning and insight. So as you can see, mistakes are a key part of discovery because they show us what will not …show more content…
work. Furthermore, mistakes are a key part of discovery because they can cause the birth of revolutionary ideas and inventions. In the passage "How a Melted Bar of Chocolate Changed Our Kitchens", the author tells of how one of the most significant inventions in the world of cooking was born at the hands of one man's mistake. Percy Spencer was always interested in learning more and inventing the next technological advances. It was while working for a company called Raytheon that a simple mistake lead to Spencer's discovery. He was standing near one of Raytheon's biggest experiments, the Magnetron, when he suddenly felt that the chocolate bar he had been carrying in his pocket was melting. This inspired a Eureka moment in Spencer' s mind and he immediately asked for popcorn kernels. He placed them near the Magnetron's thermal energy and you can guess what happened next. Spencer's great discovery was the birth of the common microwave oven. Although the microwave oven wasn't pefected till more than twenty years later, it was Spencer's messy, melted mistake that started it all. Therefore, mistakes are a key part of discovery because they can cause the birth of revolutionary ideas and inventions. On the contrary, mistakes are not always the creators of groundbreaking discoveries.
In the passage "In Praise of Careful Science", the writer tells of the scientist John Denker's words on how magnetrons and radar were discovered. The author writes, "They were researched for years. The work was kept secret. The scientists worked to avoid mistakes. When they were announced, the public did not imagine the years that went into that work. Then, Percy Spencer accidentally discovered the magnetron's property for heating food. That one moment overshadowed many years of careful science." In other words, it took great time and struggle to discover magnetrons and radar. One mistake should not define a discovery. Also, the writer of "In Praise of Careful Science" reminds us that Marie and Pierre Curie had to research and study for a great deal of time before discovering radium. But, without the countless mistakes made along the way, Marie and Pierre would not have known what would not work and would not have discovered radium. So yes, mistakes are not all there is to discovery and are certainly not more worthy of attention than time and effort. However, mistakes are indeed a key part of discovery. After all, without Spencer's mistake magnetrons and radar would not have become such a success and would not have been used to their full potential. To summarize, mistakes, effort, and time are all vital parts of
discovery. In short, mistakes are a key part of discovery because they show us what will not work and also, they can cause the birth of revolutionary ideas and inventions. Mistakes have been present since virtually the beginning of history and they will continue to occur for the rest of time. However, the important aspect to remember is that they are key parts of great discoveries through the ages and will always be no matter what the circumstances. As the 19th century English writer Martin Farquhar Tupper said, "Error is a hardy plant; it flourisheth in every soil." Mistakes are key to discovery wherever and whenever they may take place.
For example Percy Spencer discovered how to help you cook your dinner in five minutes by only a few errors. From the text, "How a Melted Bar of Chocolate Changed Our Kitchen," Spencer was standing near the Magnetron-which was a machine that generated microwaves- he noticed that his bar of chocolate has melted, where he had a moment of realization. Later that day he had asked for popcorn kernels, then he put them near the heat. This is how Spencer had discovered the microwave. Even though, he had discovered it, it took more than 20 years for the microwave to be introduced to the public. Another point from the article it said “Without mistakes, no discoveries can be made." This means that without that chocolate melting incident the microwave could not have been
I, Francisco de Bobadilla was a colonial administrator and Spanish conquistador. I was a Knight of the Order of Calatrava and an Castilian of the Royal House . I was sent as a judge to the island of the San Salvador, where I arrested Columbus for Corruption in his government. I served as governor of Indies for 2 years .
Some explorers were not looking for land to claim, but faster routes. Columbus went exploring trying to find a faster way to Asia/India for spice trading. The reason for this was because his country was receiving Asian Spices from Muslims(Document 3). In order to get the spices from the Muslims, high prices had to be paid since it was exchanged from person to person. Columbus went sailing and found an area that had inhabitants who looked like people he has never seen before which he assumed were Indians. Columbus saw they had foods he never had before and he started trading with them. He brought over foods such as the Irish Potato, Florida Oranges, Colombian Coffee, and French Vanilla Ice cream, for trading purposes(Document 6). All of those
Some of the problems when studying history are the texts and documents that have been discovered are only from perspective. Furthermore, on occasion that one perspective is all there may be for historians to study. A good example of this textual imbalance can be found from the texts about the discovery of the New World; more specifically, the letters of Christopher Columbus and Pêro Vaz de Caminha during their voyages to the New World. Plenty of the text from this time is written from the perspective of the Europeans, as the Indigenous population did not have any written text. What this means is that it provided only one perspective, which can drastically hinder how history is interpreted. Columbus’s letter of his first voyage to the Caribbean
On October 12, 1492 Christopher Columbus landed on unknown territory, however, in his perspective of Earth he thought he made a new route to Asia. He travels throughout the lands, soon, he discovers new forms of inhabitant plants, as well as, indigenous people that were native to those lands. Years later he soon unravels that it was all unaccustomed terrain. The monarchy of Spain also discovers Columbus’s new discoveries, then, they send more explorers to conquer the lands. In 1520, Hernan Cortes goes with the order from Spanish royalty to go to the newly discovered lands to conquer them, also, help expand the Spanish empire. Overall, Columbus and Cortes both reported the new lands they recently discovered back to Spain, however, their descriptions
Many historians have put forward the view that the Americas was discovered by the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. It is commonly thought and accepted that with the approval of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, Columbus went in search for India which was located in the East. However Columbus unknowingly sailed to the west across the Atlantic Ocean which led him to a land mass which was unknown to
In 1492, Christopher Columbus unintentionally discovered America, when he landed in the Caribbean Islands, while looking for a direct sea route to Asia. Despite the fact that Columbus believed he had found a direct sea route to India, he has been called the discoverer of America and hailed as a hero. More recently, however, he has been called a villain, with accusations saying that not only did he not discover America, but also that he was the cause of slavery and oppression in the Americas. These allegations are absurd and lack logical evidence.
In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. And, when he reached his destination he killed, raped and enslaved innocent natives. Was Columbus a villain? The answer to that question, in my opinion, would be yes. Christopher Columbus was a cruel, self-centered, delusional man who does not deserve to be praised for the discovery of America.
Christopher Columbus, was he a hero, or villain? For about 500 years, people have praised him and celebrated his life as though he was someone who did good for us. Schools teach students that Columbus was a great man, found gold and pearls, and discovered new lands. Students are even taught the names of Christopher Columbus' three ships he used on his first voyage. However, they grow up not knowing the truth about Christopher Columbus, what he really did to 'accomplish' his tasks. I simply believe that schools should show both sides of Columbus' story, so that students can be aware of the facts behind the 'discovery' of Early America.
People may say that mistakes just hold scientists back and provide obstacles. John Denker says, “scientists worked to avoid mistakes.” He says that scientists did not just make one mistake that led to a big discovery, but they invented their products little by little, trying to make it perfect. Mistakes may hold you back sometimes,
In our personal lives we consider our past forgotten, however in our history everyone affects how they see themselves. "history repeats itself " is gradually long time we know manipulated and deceived us the wrong information, books, learning in school, the "biased" report before the newspaper, radio and television. Let us move on and we just solemn pray for that will prosper in our country. I noticed that there have been distortions in our history. It’s sad because it seems like we have forgotten the sacrifices of those who died during the time of dictatorship. This tragedy cannot continue. We should stand up for someone’s rights today. Times have changed. More sooner than later, they will take power into their hands by all and whatever
Everyone knows the saying Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. However, there is a lot more to Christopher Columbus than what everyone was taught in elementary school through high school. Columbus is thought to be a hero, but just being classified as a hero is a fallacy. Several works including Christopher Columbus and the Enterprise of the Indies and The Lies my Teacher Told Me have been published about the real Christopher Columbus and his legacy.
“In retrospect, it is somewhat surprising that what is today considered one of the most important voyages in history was something of a failure at the time. Columbus had promised to find a new, quicker route to the lucrative Chinese trade markets and he failed miserably.
In the years leading up to and including 1491, European explorers had been researching and studying the world, however they lacked a real understanding of the true size and geography of our planet. When explorers finally began setting out on their expeditions in the late 1400’s, the world began to experience serious change. Before Columbus is credited with the discovery of America in 1492, the Americas were untouched by Europeans, but within a few hundred years permanent settlements would be founded on American soil despite the presence of the native people. In 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail on a voyage searching for a route across the Atlantic to Asia for the Spain’s King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Instead of reaching Asia, Columbus actually landed on present-day San Salvador Island.
X-rays, pacemakers, microwave ovens, chocolate chip cookies, and countless others are all examples of inventions made by mistakes. These “mistakes” have enabled significant creations and discoveries to be made in medicine, technology, and food that would have otherwise remained nonexistent. In fact, without mistakes our world would be unable to innovate and grow into the highly developed planet we have become. In Lewis Thomas’s The Medusa and the Snail, he presents that human discovery is the result of human error rather than accuracy and precision because without error there is no trial.