science

Matchbox

Matchbox is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Matchbox rather than just read about it. In short: A matchbox is a container or case for matches, made of cardboard, thin wood, or metal, generally in the form of a box with a separate drawer sliding inside the cover. Matchboxes generally measure 5 x 3.5 x 1.5 cm, and commonly have coarse striking surfaces on the edges for lighting the matches.

Key takeaways

Matchbox belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Matchbox to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Matchbox from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A matchbox is a container or case for matches, made of cardboard, thin wood, or metal, generally in the form of a box with a separate drawer sliding inside the cover. Matchboxes generally measure 5 x 3.5 x 1.5 cm, and commonly have coarse striking surfaces on the edges for lighting the matches. Cylindrical matchboxes with a round cover on one end are also available.

Metallic model

There are metal matchboxes some of which also have a hollow cylinder in which a nitrated wick is housed so that it can ignite when it is windy. The metal boxes have a scraper that is usually placed on the edge, in a slot made for this purpose. A sort of file that can be machined to the same metal casing or be a metal sheet, welded or glued. In 1878 the patent document, nº 2191 class 44, was registered by Hannoversche Gummi-Kamm-Compagnie in Hannover, about a metallic matchbox, with the following text:

Patented in the German Empire on January 3, 1878. The accompanying drawing shows: Fig. 1 shows a section through the matchbox in the closed state; Fig. 2 shows a section through the same in the open state; Fig. 3 shows a section according to a b (Fig. 2). - Part d (Fig. 1 and 2) is connected to the outer shell of the matchbox by a rivet e, the lid f is also connected to the shell by a rivet g. The spiral spring h strives to open the lid. When the matchbox is closed, the lid at k fits with a nose into an incision in part d. If you want to open the matchbox, you press on point c of part d; The same then makes a movement at k (Fig. 1) in the direction of the arrow shown, the nose of the lid is no longer held and the spiral spring h causes the lid to pop open.

Patent claim: The described and illustrated construction of a matchbox.

Other types There are other types different from those described above, made of rubber, wood, mother of pearl, ivory, bone, celluloid, etc. sometimes with very whimsical shapes, Apart from the pocket boxes mentioned, there are tabletop match boxes and boxes meant to hang on a wall. Tabletop matchboxes are of some capacity, made of fine wood, cut glass, etc., and may have a lid, the only condition being that they close well and have enough weight to allow striking a match without moving the box. Match boxes hung on the wall are used in kitchens, they are usually made of ash wood, they do not have a lid and a hook or hole protrudes from the back of the box to hang them on the wall. All matchboxes must have a scraper so that the head of the match can be rubbed against it to light it. Ordinary cardboard boxes have it on one or both sides. In tabletop or wall match boxes, the scraper is usually made of sandpaper, attached to the most visible part and at the top of the box.

Matchbook

A matchbook is a small cardboard folder that contains matches joined at the base and has a striking surface on the outside. The binder must be opened to access the matches, which are placed in a comb shape and must be torn to use them, unlike those in a standard matchbox where they are loosely packed into a drawer that can be slid with the finger.

Phillumeny

Phillumeny is the hobby of collecting different items related to matches, matchboxes, matchbox labels, matchbooks, matchbox covers, etc. In Japan, Teiichi Yoshizawa was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the best collector of matches in the world. In Portugal, Jose Manuel Pereira published a series of albums to catalog and display matchbox collections called "Phillalbum".

References

Further reading Steele, H. Thomas; Hiemann, Jim; Dyer, Rod (1987). Close Cover Before Striking: The Golden Age of Matchbook Art NY: Abbeville Press, ISBN 0-89659-695-8 Silke Eilers: Zündholzetiketten als historische Quelle. Dissertation. Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster 2002. Handbuch der Phillumenie. Zündholzetiketten als historische Quelle; eine bildkundliche Untersuchung. (= Modern Imaginarium. 1). Ahlen 2003, ISBN 3-8330-0524-6 Paul Fleischman: Das Streichholzschachtel-Tagebuch. Illustriert von Bagram Ibatoulline. Verlagshaus Jacoby & Stuart, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-941787-20-9

External links

"From Early to Modern Friction Matches". History of Matches. Retrieved 2024-02-29.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Matchbox

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Matchbox claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Matchbox before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Matchbox ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Matchbox

In research: Matchbox appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Matchbox in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Matchbox is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Collecting, Containers, Home appliances, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Matchbox outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Matchbox in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Matchbox means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Matchbox out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Matchbox in simple terms?

Why does Matchbox matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Matchbox?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Matchbox.