Zipper

High school (ages 12+)
Making & Design

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/zipper

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the early patentee?Elias Howe (1851) for a continuous clothing closure
2. What is the key innovator?Gideon Sundback (circa 1913) for the 'Hookless Fastener No. 2'
3. What is a zipper and how does it work?A zipper is a fastener that uses two rows of interlocking teeth and a slider. The slider guides the teeth together or apart, making it quick and easy to close clothes.
4. Who invented the modern zipper?Gideon Sundback invented the modern zipper around 1913. He replaced hooks and eyes with metal teeth and made a strong slider, so zippers could be made cheaply and used everywhere.

Continuous Fastener: A closure system designed to run along a length, allowing for rapid and sequential engagement and disengagement.
Slider Wedge: The internal component of the slider that forces interlocking teeth to engage or disengage.
Onomatopoeia: A word that imitates the natural sounds of things, such as 'zipper' or 'buzz'.
Material Science: The study and application of the properties and behavior of materials in engineering and science.