{"id":3684,"date":"2010-12-08T11:15:15","date_gmt":"2010-12-08T19:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/?p=3684"},"modified":"2014-05-15T01:58:32","modified_gmt":"2014-05-15T08:58:32","slug":"how-an-etch-a-sketch-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/2010\/12\/how-an-etch-a-sketch-works\/","title":{"rendered":"How an Etch A Sketch Works"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Today I found out<\/a> how an Etch a Sketch works.<\/p>\n

An Etch a Sketch is a remarkably simple device.\u00a0 The primary components are just a small sheet of glass; a stylus controlled by two knobs; very fine aluminum powder; and tiny plastic beads. The tiny beads are mixed in with the powder to make sure the powder will continue to flow evenly and not get clumped together, as well as aid in the re-coating process when you shake the Etch a Sketch.<\/p>\n

Each knob is connected to either a horizontal or a vertical rail, which in turn is connected to a pulley system.\u00a0 This is all connected to the stylus via a very stiff wire.<\/p>\n

Among other things, aluminum powder has an interesting property in that it sticks to quite a lot of things, including glass, via an electrostatic charge.\u00a0 So by turning an Etch a Sketch upside down and shaking, you effectively coat the glass with a thin layer of aluminum powder, which then adheres to the glass fairly well.\u00a0 The stylus then simply scrapes off the aluminum powder from the glass wherever it’s touching. The lines this creates are black simply because there is no light inside the Etch a Sketch except what comes through the lines you’ve created.<\/p>\n

If you liked this article and the Bonus<\/span> Facts below, you might also enjoy:<\/p>\n