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1. How to get a vase from the bottom of the sea?

This story occurred early last century.

Many years ago, a ship carrying a load of antique ceramics sank off the Korean coast. It was impossible to raise the sunken ship from the bottom or at least to salvage the load because the ship was lying more than 100 meters deep. However, archeologists were surprised to find that vases from the wreck began to appear in fishing villages.

When asked how they got ancient vases from such a depth, fishermen answered that they used a fishing rod.

Question: How did fishermen get ancient vases from the bottom of the sea?

        • Vase in hand

        • A fisherman takes a vase with the aid of a fishing rod.

        • Impossibility to recover the vase.

        • A fisherman with a fishing rod in a boat.

        • The fisherman lowers the fishing line down until it reaches the sea bottom. The end of the fishing line attaches to the vase. The fisherman raises the vase into the boat.

        • To find a vase on the sea bottom and attach it to the end of a fishing line.

        • The end of a fishing line cannot grasp and hold the vase.

        • On the sea bottom near a vase and the end of a fishing line.

        • When the fishing line is near the vase.

        • The fisherman cannot control the end of the fishing line in deep water from the boat.

        • The end of the fishing line should itself find the vase and attach itself to it.

        • A vase rests on the sea bottom. A fishing line is lowered down close to the vase. How can the end of the fishing line find the vase and attach itself to it?

      • Selecting a problem model

        Model selection criteria: 

        1. If it is clear what conditions should be obtained in the conflict zone, choose the “Conditions in OZ” model; 
        2. If the condition is formulated as an action, choose the “Actions in OZ” model;
        3. If a technical contradiction is formulated, choose the “TC” model;
        4. If a physical contradiction is already formulated, choose the “PhC” model.

        “Actions in Operational Zone” model

            • At the end of the line, there is no tool for performing the action ‘find the vase and attach itself to it”.

              • Around the vase and the line end

              • 1. The time before the contact between the line and the vase. 2. The time needed to raise the vase into the boat.

              • 1. Line. 2. Vase. 3. Sea bottom. 4. Ship. 5. Water. 6. Sea animals. 7. Readily available substance resources.

              • 1. Water pressure. 2. Readily available field resources.

            • Introduce an additional tool at the end of the line.

            • An X-component attached to the fishing line end finds the vase, attaches itself to it and holds it until it is raised into the boat.

              1. Find the vase.
              2. Hold the vase reliably.
              3. Be well-fixed to the fishing line.
              4. Be easy to control.
              5. Hold the vase throughout all of the lift.
              6. Not destroy the vase.
              7. Be able to work at a depth of 100 meters.
              8. Be inexpensive and readily available.

            • Comparing the list of the X-component requirements and available resources gives a hint that it is possible to use a bottom-dwelling animal living in burrows.

            • Finding and using such an animal will help solve this problem.

      • Fishermen used octopus. A fisherman ties an octopus to a fishing line and lowers it down to the sea bottom where the octopus hides in a vase. Then the fisherman raises the vase with the octopus.