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B1-B2

How a Teenager from Idaho Invented TV

Smithsonian Channel

426K views 11 years ago

Warm-up Questions

What do you think the video will say about a teenager inventing TV?
When you hear “Invented TV,” what kinds of problems do you imagine the inventor had to solve?
Why might it be surprising that someone from Idaho invented TV?

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How a Teenager from Idaho Invented TV

A farm boy with big ideas (00:00 – 01:38)

Transcript will load here…

1. What is Philo expected to become?

A doctor
A farmer
A radio host
A teacher

2. Which inventors are mentioned as his heroes?

The Wright brothers and Henry Ford
Nikola Tesla and Marie Curie
Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell
Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton

3. What was the “next great challenge” described in his books?

A new type of radio that can beam pictures as well as sounds
Making tractors faster
Building a bigger radio tower
Creating a new kind of music

How a Teenager from Idaho Invented TV

From plowing lines to scanning images (and a mechanical rival) (01:38 – 03:34)

Transcript will load here…

1. What observation helps Philo imagine a way to create pictures?

Lines across the field after plowing
Stars in the night sky
A drawing in a magazine
Reflections in a pond

2. What does John Logie Baird use in his solution for TV?

A battery-powered camera phone
A steam engine projector
A mirror in sunlight
A mechanical spinning disc with holes

3. Why wasn’t the mechanical TV practical on a large scale?

It couldn’t use radio waves
It could only work outside
The discs made sets too large and too slow for a sharp image
It used too much water

How a Teenager from Idaho Invented TV

Electrons, the “image dissector,” and a teacher’s support (03:34 – 05:15)

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1. Why does Philo believe electrons can help make TV work?

They travel only through water
They are visible to the human eye
They can move back and forth tens of thousands of times per second
They can only move in straight lines

2. What does Philo call his invention in the sketch?

The picture disc
The radio projector
The light slicer
The image dissector

3. How does Mr. Tolman react to Philo’s idea?

He tells Philo to stop inventing things
He laughs and says it will never work
He is blown away and says it just might work
He ignores it and changes the subject

How a Teenager from Idaho Invented TV

Transcript will load here…

1. What key principle does the video emphasize for creating TV images?

Printing images and sending them by mail
Scanning an image line by line fast enough for the eye to see one picture
Using magnets to pull light into shapes
Painting each picture by hand

2. What is one main difference between Baird’s system and Farnsworth’s idea?

Baird used electronic scanning; Farnsworth used only gears
Baird focused on sound; Farnsworth focused only on farming
Baird used a mechanical disc; Farnsworth planned an electronic system using electrons
Baird avoided radio waves; Farnsworth used only wires

3. What role does Mr. Tolman play in the story?

He sells radios to the family
He builds the first TV set
He provides encouragement that helps Farnsworth continue
He steals the invention

Discussion Questions

Discuss the ideas from this video

How a Teenager from Idaho Invented TV

Why do you think Farnsworth’s farm experience (plowing lines) helped him imagine a new technology?
Which invention seems more likely to succeed: a mechanical disc system or an electronic system using electrons? Why?
How important is encouragement from a teacher or mentor when someone has a new idea?
The video mentions “jealous Rivals.” Why do you think people might try to steal inventions, and how could inventors protect their ideas?