Mistakes: The Windows of Discovery

Scientists that make mistakes...are they bad scientists?

No!  Good science is MAKING mistakes!

Here are some scientific "mistakes" that actually turned into something great:
1. The slinky.

The scientist was working on springs, he accidentally dropped one and discovered that the springs bounced around in a very interesting way.

2. Penicillin. 

Dr. Fleming threw away some of his experiments with bacteria and discovered that there was some gross stuff growing on one of the petri dishes.  He took it back to the microscope and discovered penicillin, a wonder drug that has saved thousands, possibly millions of lives.

3. Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Ruth Wakefield wanted to make chocolate cookies, but she forgot to buy Baker's chocolate.  She decided to throw in broken bits of chocolate pieces.  She thought they would melt and make the cookie completely chocolate...but the little bits didn't melt and you know the rest of the mouth watering story....yum!

4. Potato Chips.

At a restaurant, a customer wanted fried potatoes that were thinner and crispier.  The chef was so annoyed with the customer he decided to slice the potatoes insanely thin and fried them until they were hard as a rock.  The customer absolutely loved them, to the chef's great surprise, and to his even greater surprise, lots and lots of people loved them!

5. Silly Putty.

During World War II engineers needed to make a material that was light and durable for airplane tires, combat boots and other things.  They were using silicon, which is a very light element and we can find lots of it in nature around us. The engineers accidentally added boric acid to a pot of silicon oil and it created a gooey mess that bounced when you dropped it.  Thinking it was just another mistake, they went about your business until years later this gooey mess became a favorite toy!

Want to see more great mistakes:  https://www.businessinsider.com/these-10-inventions-were-made-by-mistake-2010-11

Be proud of your mistakes, own them and reflect on what you have learned.  It's possible your mistake could be a gold mine.  Or it could be character building. Or it could teach you a lesson you won't ever forget.  

Mistakes are ALL GOOD!