science

Nanoblock

Nanoblock 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 Nanoblock rather than just read about it. In short: Nanoblock (Japanese: ナノブロック, Hepburn: Nanoburokku) is a line of construction toys manufactured by Kawada, a toy company based in Tokyo, Japan. History Nanoblock was first introduced into the Japanese market in 2008 by Kawada.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Nanoblock (Japanese: ナノブロック, Hepburn: Nanoburokku) is a line of construction toys manufactured by Kawada, a toy company based in Tokyo, Japan.

History Nanoblock was first introduced into the Japanese market in 2008 by Kawada. Nanoblock is distributed overseas by local companies, including Schylling in the United States and Mark's Europe in France and Benelux. In 2012, imports of Nanoblock reached 31 countries. In 2010, Nanoblock won an Outstanding Performance Award in the High Target category at the Japan Toy Awards for the deluxe edition set based on Neuschwanstein Castle. The following year, Nanoblock won the Grand Prize in the High Target category at the 2011 Japan Toy Awards for their model of the Tokyo Skytree. In 2012, Nanoblock won the Brand License Award at the 2012 Licensing of the Year Awards.

Sets The Nanoblock range includes original designs and licensed sets. Kawada is currently releasing four original series. The Miniature collection series features miniatures designs of animals, musical instruments and Christmas themes. All sets contain around 80 to 150 pieces. The Sights to See series includes designs of world landmarks and notable buildings with sets ranging in size from 200 to 600 bricks. The Advanced Hobby series also features notable buildings and landmarks but on a larger scale. The sets in the series are all over 2,000 pieces. The largest set is Neuschwanstein Castle deluxe edition, with 5,800 pieces. The fourth series is aimed at girls with themes including weddings and birthdays.

Kawada has created sets based on various licenses including The Adventures of Tintin, Pokémon, Shaun the Sheep and Sanrio characters including Cinnamoroll, Hello Kitty, KeroKeroKeroppi and My Melody. A series of sets based on Disney characters is sold exclusively at the Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea theme parks. In 2013 it was announced Kawada would produce two sets based on Capcom's Mega Man video game franchise as part of the series' 25th anniversary. In 2015, four sets based on characters from the video game franchise Street Fighter were released. The four characters produced were Ryu, Chun-Li, Guile and Dhalsim. Also in 2015, camera giant Nikon partnered with Kawada to recreate its Nikon F camera in a set.

Design Nanoblocks are similar in design to a Lego brick but smaller, with the smallest brick being 4 mm × 4 mm × 3 mm, not including the stud. The bricks are 1⁄8 the size of Kawada's Diablock line of bricks. The underside of the bricks are different from Lego bricks because they use a dividing flange, known as the double-ridged backing system, instead of the tube system that Lego employs. The bricks are made using ABS plastic and there are eleven different types, the biggest being an 8×2 brick and the smallest a single stud brick. Nanoblock sets typically include spare pieces.

Reception Wired described Nanoblock as an affordable alternative to Lego, but noted the small pieces were easily lost.

References

External links Official website

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nanoblock

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nanoblock 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 Nanoblock 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 Nanoblock 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 Nanoblock

In research: Nanoblock 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 Nanoblock 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: Nanoblock is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Construction toys, Japanese brands, Japanese inventions, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nanoblock 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 Nanoblock in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nanoblock 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 Nanoblock out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nanoblock in simple terms?

Nanoblock (Japanese: ナノブロック, Hepburn: Nanoburokku) is a line of construction toys manufactured by Kawada, a toy company based in Tokyo, Japan. History Nanoblock was first introduced into the Japanese market in 2008 by Kawada.

Why does Nanoblock 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 Nanoblock?

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 Nanoblock.