Engineers vs. Inventors

Janice VanCleave’s Engineering for Every Kid: Easy Activities That Make Learning Science Fun This book contains research for different types of engineering as well as investigations that can be used as exploratory experiments in the design and developing of an engineering project.

What’s the difference between an engineer and an inventor?

Sometimes there is no difference between an engineer and an inventor.

The objective of an engineer is to produce something new or improve on current devices and services to serve mankind.

The objective of an inventor is to create a device, method, product, process, or technique that did not previously exist.

Inventor? Engineer? Inventor and Engineer?

Silly Putty was invented by James Wright, a scientist working for General Electric. Wright was looking for an inexpensive substitute for rubber. Instead, Wright accidentally invented a material that would stretch and bounce but was not useful as a rubber substitute or anything else that he knew of.

Was Wright an inventor? An Engineer? An Inventor and Engineer?

Wright invented some gooey stuff, but he found no use for it. Wright would be considered an inventor, but not an engineer.

Wright sold his rights to the “gooey stuff” to Peter Hodgson, a toy store owner. Hodgson packaged the gooey stuff in plastic eggs and called it Silly Putty.

Was Hodgson an inventor? An Engineer? An Inventor and Engineer?

Hodgson was not a trained engineer, yet he found a purpose for what seemed to be a useless substance. He even devised a way to package the stuff. Hodgson  demonstrated the skills of a product development engineer.

FUN FACTS: Today, many different kinds of engineers are involved in the mass production of Silly Putty, which is sold all over the world.