The basic rule of
thumb is that a discovery is something which already exists, whereas an
invention is something which has been created as being entirely new. It looks similar, but not exactly the same
and it is very interesting to separate them as the following.
A discovery is when someone discovers
something. A discovery is a new increment to knowledge that
is defined as understanding the behavior of observable natural phenomena as
well as understanding the structure of logical relationships. These observable
natural phenomena consist of all physical, biological, and social processes
that can be directly or indirectly observed. Logical relationships, on the
other hand, are described by the study of pure logic, mathematics, statistics
and computer science.
An invention is a new man-made device or process. A new device which qualifies as an invention may take such forms as a new physical product, a new biological life form or a new piece of
software. A process, on the other hand, is a chemical, physical, or biological
chain of events that produces a product or service. To be patentable, an
invention must meet a test of originality. But the fact that an invention may
qualify for a patent, does not guarantee that the invention will be profitable
to produce. Each year inventors create numerous inventions, of which only a
small percent will be profitable to produce. Corporations, in fact, focus much
inventive effort on making improvements to existing products and processes.
These improvements will be considered minor inventions, regardless of whether
or not they could be patented.
In conclusion, both the inventions and
discoveries are look similar, but they are not exactly the same.
