Thomas Edison

Why did Thomas Edison's mom take him out of school?

• Because Thomas annoyed his teachers with too many questions

• Because she did not want Thomas to learn anything

• Because he wanted to start his own business

• Because he wanted to travel around the world

Edison once said, "Genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration." What did he mean?

• That working in the lab all day makes you sweaty

• That a great idea is useless if you don't have good work habits

• That being a genius is not all it's cracked up to be

• That great idea are often inspired through exercise

How was the telegraph different from the telephone?

• The telephone was made of wood, the telegraph was made of rubber

• The telephone could send signals a long way; the telegraph only worked over short distances

• The telephone could send a human voice; the telegraph could only send electric "beeps"

• The telephone was larger and heavier than the telegraph

At age 14, Edison became an entrepreneur, selling candy and newspapers to railway passengers. What does "entrepreneur" mean?

• Someone who becomes wealthy at a young age

• An inventor

• A newspaper reporter

• Someone who starts his own business

Place these events in sequence:

• Edison invents the phonograph

• Edison begins his power company

• Edison moves to New Jersey

How did Edison's phonograph capture sound?

• On magnetic tape

• On flat plastic discs

• A bits of digital information

• On wax cylinders covered with tinfoil

What was new about Edison's power distribution system?

• It generated power at a central station and distributed it to homes and businesses through wires

• It provided power to people's homes and businesses without wires

• It provided power to remote rural areas

• It allowed every home to have its own telegraph machine

Thomas Edison's nickname was the "Wizard of Menlo Park." Why do you think he got this nickname?

• He was an amateur magician

• His inventions seemed almost magical to people back then

• He claimed his inventions were inspired by mysterious forces

• He invented things without having to work hard on them

Which of the following statements is an opinion about Thomas Edison?

• Edison invented the phonograph

• Edison had the most brilliant mind of the 19th Century

• Edison was hard of hearing

• A rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike is named after Thomas Edison

Where did Thomas Edison grow up?

• Menlo Park, NJ

• New York City

• Port Huron, MI

• Suffern, NY