The tape had been advertised as waterproof, but moisture tended to be its worst problem. The mechanism proved to be delicate and fouled easily with mud and debris. The Maynard tape worked well under controlled conditions, but proved to be unreliable in the field. The Ordnance Board was initially hesitant about the design, but the secretary of war, future Confederate President Jefferson Davis, was so enthusiastic about the design that it was installed on the Springfield Model 1855 rifle-musket. This saved the soldier a step during the reloading process, which increased the soldier's overall rate of fire.
Maynard's new system still required the musket's powder and Minié ball to be loaded conventionally into the barrel, but the tape system meant that the percussion cap no longer needed to be manually loaded onto the percussion lock's nipple. The small plate with the eagle on it is the cover for the Maynard tape system.
The hammer not only detonated the primer, but would also automatically cut the paper, thus removing the spent portion of the primer tape.ĭiagram of a Springfield Model 1855 Musket's lock mechanism. Maynard also developed an automatic feeding system that would advance the tape when the musket's hammer was cocked. The tape could be manufactured quickly and cheaply, since paper was much less expensive than copper. Edward Maynard, a dentist with an interest in firearms, embedded tiny pellets of priming material in thin strips of paper, then glued a second strip of paper on top of the first, creating a "tape" of primer. While they greatly improved the reliability of muskets and their performance in damp weather, the slow rate of fire of muskets was still an issue. Percussion cap systems relied on small copper caps that were filled with mercury fulminate. In 1807 the first percussion ignition system was patented by Alexander Forsyth based on research on fulminates conducted by Edward Charles Howard, but practical percussion lock systems did not become available until the 1820s, after Alexander John Forsyth's patent had expired. This is 25 fewer than his sister Becca has.Muskets in the early 19th century were flintlocks, which had a high rate of misfire and performed poorly in damp and humid weather. These words may seem like a quick fix for students.but they can lead them down the wrong path. One thing I do NOT recommend? Looking for key words like "fewer" or "total". One idea? Use highlighters to find important information.
Just look at how many of our math books are organized.Ī lesson entitled "Solving Addition Stories" doesn't leave much room for student thinking, does it? Providing students with a constantly spiraling variety of problems forces them to think for themselves, learn to look for key information in problems, and make solution decisions accordingly. So often we do the thinking for our students. One skill that we really want to make sure our students understand is the need to critically read math problems to figure out what is being asked, what information is given, and to make a plan for solving. As teachers, we should always be striving to help our students understand that the skills we are teaching are them are FOREVER.not just to complete a math page or worksheet.