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Locksmith
Installs, repairs, and opens locks — also designs security systems.
Did you know?
The pin tumbler lock on most front doors was invented by Linus Yale Sr. in 1848; his son added the flat key with jagged edges in 1861.
How subjects help
- Mathematics: Plan the key cuts for a master key that opens many different locks in one building.
- Physics: Feel how the pins inside a lock lift and line up so you can open it without damage.
- Art & Design: Restore and fit old decorative locks so they match the look of an antique door.
A famous name
Joseph Bramah: Locksmith who patented the Bramah lock in 1784; his shop's challenge lock went unpicked for over 60 years.
Try it yourself: Take apart a click pen
- Click the pen a few times and guess what is happening inside. Draw your guess.
- Twist the pen apart slowly over a table so no small parts roll away. Lay every piece out in order. (Keep the little spring away from young children.)
- Draw each part and label what you think it does: spring, ink tube, clicker.
- Put it back together, but leave one part out. Does it still work? Try each part in turn to find which ones really matter.
Engineers and mechanics take machines apart ("reverse engineering") to learn how the parts work together, find what failed and design simpler versions.
Adapted from TeachEngineering (University of Colorado Boulder): Disassemble a Click Pen.
Also try: Make a window like stained glass.
Known for it in
USA, UK, Germany, Israel, Australia