Information & History of the Slinky!
- Around 250,000,000 Slinkys have been sold, which is enough for everyone
in the US to have one.
- Today's regular size metal Slinky contains 80 feet of coiled wire
- Over 3,030,000 miles of wire (or 50,000 tons) have been used in
the Slinky's 51 years of production (which would encircle the Earth
126 times).
- Slinkys have not always been used as toys, they have also been included
as components of pecan picking machines, drapery holders, antennas,
light fixtures, window decorations, gutter protectors, pigeon repellers,
bird house protectors, therapeutic devices, wave motion coils, table
decorations, mail holders, store displays and various other uses.
- The Slinky was invented in 1945 by Robert James. It was devloped
for the Navy as an anti-vibration device for ship instruments. However
the Navy didn't use them so James searched for another use for his
invention. He made it into a toy!
- James designed and engineered the machines that turned the 80 feet
of steel wire into a coil, completing the process in 9 - 11 seconds.
- Slinkys were first made in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. The original
equipment is still there and that's where they're made!
- The Jameses first demonstrated the Slinky at Gimbels Department
Store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the early 1940s. They were
afraid that no one would buy the Slinky because it was so simple.
They gave a friend a dollar so that he could buy one. But only 90
minutes after the demonstration, 400 Slinkys had been sold!
- Richard James and his wife, Betty M. James were the creators of
the Slinky and the co-founders of James Industries. Richard James
died in 1974, but Mrs. James, 78, is still alive and the CEO of James
Industries.
- The metal Slinky is different from the original only in that the
sharp ends are crimped for safety.
- The Slinky was first sold for a dollar in 1945, today they go for
around $1.99 and are available on every continent except Antartica.
- The word Slinky in Swedish translates to traespiral.
"The Slinky, like all objects, tends to resist change it its motion. Because of this inertia, if it were placed at the top of the stairs it would stay at rest without moving at all. At this point it has potential or stored energy. But once is is started down the stairs and gravity affects it, the potential energy is converted to the energy of motion or kinetic energy and the Slinky gracefully tumbles coil by coil down the stairs.
The physical properties of the slinky determine how quickly it moves under the influence of gravity. Although its movement may look simple, from a scientific point of view the motion is quite complex. As the slinky moves down the steps, energy is transferred along its length in a longitudinal or compressional wave, which resembles a sound wave that travels through a substance by transferring a pulse of energy to the next molecule. How quickly the wave moves depends on the spring constant and the mass of the metal. Other factors, such as the length of the Slinky, the diameter of the coils and the height of the step must be considered to completely understand why a Slinky moves as it does."
--From the Newton's Apple web site