Introduction
Very often people are curious as
to whether there is a certain methodology that successful inventors are
following that can be adopted by others. In my opinion, one should look
no further then Thomas Edison, one of the greatest minds of the
Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries; inventor who gave the world a
long-lasting light bulb and phonograph – just a few inventions that
revolutionized and modernized our world. In fact, Edison patented 1,093
Inventions in US alone, not counting numerous patents obtained in
European countries like Germany, France and England.
Edison And His Methodology
So,
what methodology did Thomas Edison follow when he worked on his
numerous ideas? Many researchers and bibliographers who studied
Edison’s life claim that the famed inventor didn’t use systematic
approach while working on his ideas; in fact, many claim that Edison
favored the so-called random approach. In my opinion, above mentioned
claims are misleading and should be taken with big grain of salt.
Thomas
Edison never rushed into conclusions and methodically studied any
available literature on the topic he was working. Edison once wrote the
following –
“When I want to discover something, I begin by
reading up everything that has been done along that line in the past -
that's what all these books in the library are for. I see what has been
accomplished at great labor and expense in the past. I gather data of
many thousands of experiments as a starting point, and then I make
thousands more.”
Respect the Work of Others
One can clearly
see that Thomas Edison had the uttermost respect for the researchers
who worked before him, either successfully or unsuccessfully. Famed
inventor realized early on that his success heavily relied upon work
done by others - Edison carefully analyzed facts produced by others,
noted their mistakes and learned to avoid these mistakes in the future.
Regarding Trial And Error Approach
Edison
did use trial and error (or random) method, but in a different context.
Once Edison formulated and documented his ideas, inventor used trial
and error approach in determining the best materials that should be
used in his inventions. In those days, only rudimental research was
done on physical and chemical properties of most materials, including
gases and metals. Edison had to rely on his own tests and observations
in order to produce a list of materials that were strong enough to be
used in his inventions.
Summary
Edison left us with the
idea to not just accept what we have, but with desire and hunger to
reach newer heights. Famed inventor lived extraordinary life and
managed to make our life better by improving on things that no one
thought can be improved. The traits and abilities mentioned below are
associated with Edison that helped him to achieve his dream of making
our world a better place to live:
- Quickly grasp idea or concept
- Sketch original design and easily draw a diagram of his idea
- See the big picture and not allowing anything to stand on his way to success
- Appreciate work done by others and learn from their mistakes
- Pause and quickly re-analyze his ideas, once critical facts came into light
- Test Inventions under most extreme conditions in order to be sure that they will continue to operate properly
- To Conceiving an idea and work towards achieving it
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