How a Block and Tackle Works

A fascinating article that describes how a block and tackle (as well as levers and gears) works!

How Bearings Work

Bearings are the invisible heroes inside many mechanical devices. Learn about all different kinds of bearings, including 5-foot ball bearings that keep buildings on solid footing.

How Gears Work

Gears are a fundamental part of just about any mechanical object -- if it has a motor, engine or spring, it probably has gears! But what do they do, exactly, and how do they do it?

How Radial Engines Work

A radial engine has a unique setup that makes it ideal for certain applications. Find out what makes radial engines different, how they operate and where they're used.

How Two-stroke Engines Work

A car engine uses a four-stroke cycle -- how can two strokes accomplish the same tasks? Learn all about the two-stroke engine, where it's used and how it compares to a four-stroke.

How do torpedo engines work under water?

Since a torpedo cannot have an air-breathing engine like a boat, how is it propelled through the water?

What force causes a 3-pole motor to spin one way and not the other?

There is a force that causes a 3-pole motor to spin in one direction and not the other. What exactly is this force and how does it prevent the motor from spinning in another direction. Find out the answer to this question in this article from HowStuffWorks.

How do the engines breathe in diesel submarines?

How do the engines breathe in diesel submarines? Don't internal combustion engines need a lot of oxygen to run? Where would all of this oxygen come from when the sub is underwater?

How Gear Ratios Work

You see gears in just about anything that has spinning parts -- car engines, transmissions, VCRs... Learn what these gears are doing and get to the bottom of the "gear ratio" concept!

How Van de Graaff Generators Work

Were these things invented to make your hair stand on end? Find out how Van de Graaff generators create static electricity and why they were invented in the first place.