How does a zipper work?
Two rows of teeth, half a tooth apart, and a Y-shaped slider that locks them together.
How does a pin tumbler lock work?
Five tiny spring-loaded pins, and why only one key lines them all up at the shear line.
Coming soon
How does a toilet flush?
No pump, no motor: just a rush of stored water (and, in some toilets, a siphon) that empties the bowl in seconds.
Coming soon
How does a speedometer work?
From a spinning magnet and a drag cup to a pulse counter in a modern car.
Coming soon
How does a piano key make a sound?
A lever chain that throws a felt hammer at the string, then lets it fly free.
Coming soon
How does a quartz watch keep time?
A tiny crystal tuning fork that rings 32,768 times a second.
Coming soon
How does a sewing machine make a stitch?
One needle, one hook, two threads, and a loop that wraps around the bobbin.
Coming soon
How does a helicopter steer?
The swashplate tilts each blade a little as it goes round, so the whole rotor leans.
Coming soon
How does a microwave heat food?
Water molecules twisting back and forth billions of times a second, and why the plate turns.
Coming soon
How does a fridge make cold?
It doesn't make cold. It pumps heat out, using a liquid that boils below freezing.
Coming soon
How does GPS know where you are?
Timing signals from satellites, and why relativity matters for your map.
Coming soon
How does yeast make bread rise?
Billions of fungi eating sugar and breathing out bubbles that gluten traps.
How does a wing create lift?
Computed airflow, not a cartoon: lower pressure on top, downwash behind, and the myth it kills.
