Science & Nature
EasyInventions Crossword: Everyday Inventions
Category: Science & NatureDifficulty: Hard15 × 16
Sunday, August 30
Leaderboard Ad Unit
Enter one letter per square. Answers run Across or Down. Omit spaces and accents; any special spelling convention is stated in the clue. This is a freeform themed grid, so some letters are not crossed.
MPU / Sidebar Ad Unit
About This Theme
This puzzle asks what a device does rather than who first invented it. That avoids turning long, collaborative histories into a contest over one famous name. Read each mechanism carefully: an object that regulates something is not necessarily the instrument that measures it. The answers include tools for communication, motion, observation and control. Many are familiar objects, but their technical descriptions may make you look at them afresh.
Clues
Across
- 2Historical device that records and reproduces sound mechanically (10)
- 4Device that regulates temperature toward a chosen setting (10)
- 8Instrument used to observe distant objects (9)
- 9Grooved wheel used with a rope or belt (6)
- 10Semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electronic signals (10)
- 11Instrument that measures atmospheric pressure (9)
Down
- 1Fastener with two rows of interlocking teeth and a slider (6)
- 3Mechanism allowing stepwise motion in one direction while resisting reversal (7)
- 4Device for transmitting speech over a distance (9)
- 5System that sends coded messages using electrical signals (9)
- 6Instrument for viewing objects too small to see clearly unaided (10)
- 7Device that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy (9)
Answers and Explanations
After Your Solve
THERMOSTAT and BAROMETER both respond to environmental conditions, but only one is designed to regulate a temperature setting. GENERATOR names a device converting mechanical energy to electrical energy. RATCHET names a mechanism that controls motion in a particular way. Looking at functions rather than inventors makes the theme more precise and less dependent on disputed firsts. If a clue felt unexpectedly difficult, try translating its technical description into an everyday situation where you would use the object.
- 2 acrossPHONOGRAPH
Early phonographs used physical sound-recording media.
- 4 acrossTHERMOSTAT
A thermostat controls rather than merely displays temperature.
- 8 acrossTELESCOPE
A telescope gathers light from distant subjects.
- 9 acrossPULLEY
A pulley changes the direction of a force or transmits motion.
- 10 acrossTRANSISTOR
Transistors are building blocks of electronic circuits.
- 11 acrossBAROMETER
A barometer is a measuring instrument.
- 1 downZIPPER
The slider joins or separates the teeth.
- 3 downRATCHET
A ratchet controls the permitted direction of movement.
- 4 downTELEPHONE
A telephone is designed for voice communication.
- 5 downTELEGRAPH
Telegraph messages can be encoded as signal patterns.
- 6 downMICROSCOPE
A microscope makes small details visible.
- 7 downGENERATOR
A generator produces electrical energy from mechanical input.
Further Reading
- Theme referenceamericanhistory.si.edu
More Puzzles
Science & Nature
MediumMoon Crossword: Looking at the Moon
Play Moon Crossword: Looking at the MoonScience & Nature
HardSpace Crossword: Early Spaceflight
Play Space Crossword: Early Spaceflight
Tomorrow's puzzle is already being written.
Membership is free, we send one email a morning, and you can leave with one click.