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The engine that waited for a cylinder

James Watt had the right idea for the steam engine by 1765, but no engine in commercial use for over a decade. Much of the trouble was not on his drawings. Research and a business novel billed as a bestseller show what that story can and can’t teach.

Major #14: Mechanical EngineeringThe story: James Watt and John Wilkinson (1770s). The book: The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox.

About 8 minutes

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In this lesson

  • The right idea and the wrong metal
  • A cannon maker’s answer
  • What the research says
  • The book: The Goal
  • What the evidence says about the book
  • Where this comes from
  • Try it today
  • 4 questions to check yourself

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