TRIZ Textbooks:  CID Course for Children, 2-2G4
Methods of Solving Problems
Topic 4.  "Use What Is at Hand, and Don't Look for Anything Else". 
     (Resources)
Fantasy City:
Course of Creative Imagination Development (CID), 
2nd Grade, 2nd Semester, Methodical Guide-Book
Natalia V. Rubina, 1999 [published in Russian]
English translation by Irina Dolina, May 4, 2001
Technical Editing by Toru Nakagawa, Sept. 3, 2001
Posted in this "TRIZ Home Page in Japan" in English on Sept. 11, 2001 under the permission of the Author.
(C) N.V. Rubina, I. Dolina, and T. Nakagawa 2001

 
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Methods of Solving Problems

Topic 4.  "Use What Is at Hand, and Don't Look for Anything Else". 
(Resources)

Workbook


Lesson 1

1.  Warm-up

“Card index to the CID lessons for the second grade, part 2”
2.  Homework
How can a comb change, in your opinion?
3.  Introduction to the lesson
     The use at most the resources the system possesses is one of most important conditions of solving a problem creatively.  In TRIZ it is an established order to consider the following group of resources in succession.
     The resources of the system itself : its properties, changes of these properties, a possibility of reconstructing the parts.
     The resources of the nearest super-system: merging with the systems from the nearest surrounding, using the mediators.
    The resources of environment: air, gravitation, heat or cold, etc.
    “Free“ resources: everything around us, that is in abundance and doesn’t need expenses (for example, at the seashore – stones and sand; in the forest – cones and fallen leaves).
     In the CID course for elementary school the different types of resources are not supposed to be taught thoroughly to the children.
     The level of the school problems, given to the children, doesn’t imply it. However, if the kids suggest, for example, that we should use an X-ray device to investigate how the oil theft has been performed (see introduction to the lesson on topic “Resources”, Problem 19), this solution is very far from ideal, because this device is located far from the system in which the problem has appeared.

Problem 19.  A foreign company used to buy from another company sun-flower oil and transport it in the tanks with capacity of 3000 liters.
     It turned out that every time 20-30 liters were missing in a tank.  The measuring devices were checked, but they were fine. The locks on the hatch, the hermetic seals were in order.  The fact that a few liters of oil could be left on the walls of the tank was taken into consideration; but the loss was much bigger… An experienced detective was invited.  He couldn’t find anything: the car didn’t stop anywhere and the driver didn’t pump out the oil.  The detective gave up. ..
     At this point the Inventor appeared.
     "Oh, what’s the use of these detectives!", he said.  "It’s all so simple.  One has to think for a while."
     Then he explained what the matter was.  What do you think?

4.  Main topic
 

     One of the ways of obtaining ideal, the most desired solution of a problem is using the most available resources.  The cheapest and most common resource, available to you all the time, is emptiness (or "void").  How to use it?  Let’s imagine, for example, a brick and try to improve it with the help of emptiness.  First step: we make a hole in the brick.  The brick will become lighter, it will need less material.  Inside the walls of such a brick lines of communication can be laid.  Step two: we’ll make a bigger hole in the brick.  The thin walls will make the brick fragile and breakable – it will need the hard edges.  The brick with several holes becomes even lighter.  It can be used as a good heat-keeper and noise absorber.  Such a brick has also the drawbacks: it can not be processed.  A normal brick can be cut in two-three parts, but if the one with the holes is being cut with a hammer, only fragments will remain.  Third step in the development of a brick: we’ll make many holes in a brick, but the holes are very small, to be precise, they are bubbles.  The weight of a brick is decreasing even more, heat and noise isolation is increasing.  How should a brick be treated further?  We may combine one big hole with the spongy structure of a brick.  Another step might be taken: instead of bubbles, thin holes or capillaries.  A brick illustrates unusual properties.  A bath-room, for example, built of such bricks, will be always dry.”
      (M. Rubin “Converted emptiness”, newspaper “Komsomolskoye znamya”, July 12, 1991, Tambov.)


     Now we easily solve the problem about the oil theft.
     If one pumps out the oil during transporting, then (+) it is possible to get 20-30 liters of free oil, but (–) one can be caught red-handed at the scene of crime.
     There must be a “device” in a tank, detaining the oil that makes it possible to steal it, and there shouldn’t be any “device” to eliminate all suspicions.
     The tank detains the oil By Itself.
     There is no “device”, but the oil is detained.

     What resources do we have?  The wall of the tank + emptiness, where the oil would be placed.  It makes us think about a special tank for the thieves with a small container for some quantity of liquid.  Life is much simpler: the driver used to hang an empty bucket inside the empty tank beforehand.  When the tank was filled with the oil, the bucket was also filled with the oil.  Then the tank would drive to the plant, the oil was poured off, and the driver could take a bucket with the oil afterwards.

     To solve the following problems, we must well consider which resources there are in the system or its nearest surrounding and which resources may be used to find a solution.

Problem 20.  Once a new car “Volga” stopped on the road.  The driver awkwardly explained to his passenger:
     "We have a problem, there is no gasoline in the tank.  I have forgotten to check the controlling device."
     "It happens sometimes," replied a sympathizing passenger.  "And the controlling devices are not reliable.  Sometimes the pointer is far from zero, but the tank is already empty.  I wish we had a tank that could inform the driver by telepathy that the gasoline is coming to an end…"
     And here the Inventor appeared.
     "We can go without telepathy," he said.  " I have an idea…"
     What did the Inventor suggest?
 

If ……………………………………………………………,
then  (+) …………………………………………………….,
but  (–)  ……………………………………………………..

 ………………………………must be …………………………..,
          in order to……………………………………..,
 and must be not ……………………………………….,
         in order to ...............................................................

................... by itself ............................................................

................... resources ............................................................
..................................................................................................

     It is necessary to find out beforehand that the gasoline in the tank is coming to end, but the tank can’t give a signal.

     The tank has to give a signal to inform us about the quantity of the gasoline, and it doesn’t have to give a signal because it will make its construction too complicated.
     A signal appears By Itself.
     In this case, we are not changing the tank.
     Let’s consider the resources we have.  We need to get the information in time without using sophisticated devices.  We know that the man gets information by several ways.  Which of them is more convenient in this case?  By vision – is not convenient; the additional optical signals will distract the driver’s attention.  By touch – it is not clear what kind of device it might be.  By ear – in this case this is the most convenient variant.  A mediator, when the tank is getting empty, has to interact with it and creates a sound signal.  The problem is solved!  We’ll put a float in to the tank.  While there is gasoline in the tank, the float stays “silent”, ( the side edges of the float should be soft, not to create an unusual noise by knocking at the walls of the tank).  As soon as the gasoline starts to come to an end, the float will knock at the bottom of the tank and the driver will hear a loud unusual noise.


6.  Activities on speech developing or designing a creative product

Constructing with paper, match-boxes, matches, etc.
7.  Sum up

Homework
      Give as many examples of uncommon application of the common objects as possible.  Write down your answers on the cards in the end of the workbook.



Workbook
Lesson 2

1.  Warm up

“Card index to the CID lessons for the second grade, part 2”.
2.  Homework
2-3 most interesting cards.
3.  Introduction to the lesson

     Imagine a situation: you are absolutely alone on an Uninhabited Island.
 

     The lesson about Robinson on an Uninhabited Island might be very interesting.  Choose music, which will help to create an atmosphere of romantic sea voyage.  Plunge into the situation, activate all the channels of perception of the children ("I see ...", "I hear ...", "I feel ...").  Prepare some paper, color pencils, markers – all that will be necessary for working in groups.  Some materials for this work can be found in “Card index to the CID lessons for the second grade, part 2”.


4.  Main topic

     There were many plants, animals, etc. on Robinson’s island.  Our island is not so rich, but we were lucky – boxes full of hats, lots of different hats, were washed ashore.
     Our aim is to make our life on the island comfortable.  Use the hats as a resource.
 

     In the first place, you have to find out what you need for the life on the island.  Usually, together with the children we single out the following groups of articles:
- clothes;
- house;
- plates and dishes;
- hunting equipment;
- amusement.
     Then the class is divided into groups and each group devises how to make all these things, using the hats.
     While discussing different options, you may draw the children’s attention to the fact that the hats have arrived in boxes, any of which may be a very useful resource.  As a rule, one of the groups suggests this interesting lead by itself.  So, well, the children learned to see and use the possibilities of super-systems.
     Undoubtedly, the hats may be used not only as a whole system.  Dividing them into parts, you will get the additional possibilities.  The types of fabric that is used for making hats give lots of different options of their utilization.


6.  Activities on speech developing or designing a creative product

Your drawings and explanations.
7.  Sum up

     The result of the activities at this lesson might be drawings or even  models of various devices made of hats.

     Homework
     Give as many variants of uncommon application of the common objects as possible.  Write down your answers on the cards in the end of the workbook.
 
 
 
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Last updated on Sept. 11, 2001.     Access point:  Editor: nakagawa@utc.osaka-gu.ac.jp