They are exercises in observation.
You are forced to ask questions.
What moves?
What connects to something else?
Why is this piece shaped that way?
Would it have been attached to a machine?
Was it powered by electricity?
Did it generate electricity?
Was it designed to be carried?
Was it part of a larger device?
Sometimes the answer comes from one tiny detail.
Before You Look at the Answer
Mystery-object challenges are more fun when you resist the urge to search immediately.
Look carefully.
Try to determine what material the object is made from.
Consider its size.
Think about whether it appears designed to move.
Look for screws, gears, handles, wires, rollers, springs, or openings.
Then ask yourself a more important question:
What problem was this object designed to solve?
That question can be much more useful than simply asking what the object looks like.
A bicycle dynamo, for example, does not necessarily scream “bicycle light” when viewed by itself.
