spinning jenny
by: david cass/ 2-11-14/ 10th
1.Who was the inventor?
James Hargreaves
2.Was there an inventor that surpassed his invention? What was the invention?
Sir Richard Arkwright, the water frame.
3.How does the invention work?
Through the use of a moving bar that was operated by a foot pedal, the cotton fibers were drawn out; this was the first successful mechanical simulation of how a human spinner would draw the fibers out by hand. The fibers were then twisted lightly and spun onto eight separate spindles. Unlike the yarn produced on a hand-spun wheel, the jenny's yarn was weak and sometimes lumpy—usable as weft but unsuitable as warp (for which much stronger linen thread was used).
4.What is the purpose of the invention?
To attempt to increase the production rate of the textile industry.
5. Where did the invention occur?
6.When did the invention occur?
1768
7.Why was there a need for this invention?
John Kay's invention of the flying shuttle in 1761 made it possible for one man to weave material wider than the length of his extended arms—material so wide that two or even three men would previously have been required to cast the shuttle back and forth. As use of the flying shuttle increased, a new shortage of thread became apparent, since one person, using a spinning wheel, could only produce one thread at a time. A reward was offered to the man who invented a machine to increase the spinner's productivity. While it is not known if he ever received that reward, the man who ultimately invented the machine was James Hargreaves, and the machine was the spinning jenny.
8.Why is this invention important to history?
This was the first invention that could spindle more than one string of yarn and was a major contributor to the development of the textile industry.