Listening unit 3

What is serendipity?

• Having a creative way of thinking

• Discover an object you were looking for a long time

• Discovering something or something happening by chance

When was the microwave invented?

• 1939

• 1949

• 1959

Who invented the microwave?

• Marc Spencer

• Percy Spencer

• James Spencer

People like Spencer...

• Notice things that they were not looking for

• Notice things that are not there

• Notice things related to their goals

They are capable of _______ thinking.

• convergent

• divergent

• typical

• traditional

What is an example of divergent thinking?

• To solve a mathematical equation with many variables

• To choose the best option out of a problem

• To consider many potential solutions to a problem

For divergent thinkers, annoying events are...

• The beginning of ideas

• A problem they need to solve

• An opportunity to try again

Is there any way to increase the possibility of serendipity?

• No, you need to think the way creative thinkers think.

• Yes, there are exercises that can encourage divergent thinking

• Yes, but the paperclip example is the only place to start

What is NOT a main idea from the podcast?

• Some inventors have different ways of thinking.

• Serendipity is mostly good luck

• Serendipity is probably only a small part of the process of invention

• Anyone can learn to think more creatively

"He realized that the microwaves had done it. That made him think -wow- maybe microwaves could be useful, not just for his government project but for something else" What can you infer from this segment?

• Spencer realized he was going to make a lot of money

• Spencer thought microwaves would be useful in cooking

• Spencer decided to leave the project and work on ovens instead