Transport
Discover facts about transport. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Transport
Why Skip-It toys were so hard on your shins
The plastic ball swings around your ankle, and a mistimed hop sends it straight into your shin. The toy’s whole power source is your own leg; unfortunately,…
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Why planes take off faster into a headwind
The plane lifts according to its speed through the air, not its speed over the runway. A headwind adds airflow across the wings, so the aircraft needs less…
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Industrial conveyor belts rely entirely on raw friction
The motor spins a pulley, and friction carries that motion into the belt. Tighten the belt enough and the two move together; overload the grip and it slips, a…
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A horse cannot use mouth-breathing as a backup
Its airway anatomy makes it an obligate nasal breather: the soft palate and larynx maintain the breathing passage through the nose. That is why the nostrils…
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Apollo astronauts said Moon dust smelled like gunpowder
Moon dust had no smell in the vacuum outside; astronauts noticed the gunpowder-like odor after dusty suits came back into the cabin. The grit brought a little…
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Why three-legged races are so difficult
The tied legs have to move as one while both runners balance and coordinate their free steps. The race is less about speed than negotiating a walking treaty…
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A jet ski steers by aiming the water it throws backward
A pump draws in water and forces it out through a nozzle at the rear. Turning the handlebars redirects that jet, changing the force pushing the craft. The…
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Strait of Gibraltar passenger ferries connect two continents
The Strait of Gibraltar separates Europe and Africa, and passenger ferries shuttle across it between Spain and Morocco. Two continents, one boat…
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Why the London Tube keeps getting hotter
The Tube has a cooling problem with a geological memory. Trains and passengers pump heat into the tunnels, while the clay around them soaks it up and gives it…
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Pan Am took reservations for flights to the Moon
Pan Am's First Moon Flights Club collected names for a future lunar service, eventually attracting more than 93,000 hopeful travelers. The airline was…
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Drop-through longboards mount trucks through deck holes
Drop-through trucks pass through holes in the deck, lowering the board closer to the ground. That lower stance makes pushing and balancing feel steadier,…
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Singapore makes you buy the right to own a car
The government auctions Certificates of Entitlement to limit the number of vehicles on the island. You need one before you can legally buy a car, even an…
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Sleeping on the cabin floor is strictly forbidden
A person stretched across the cabin floor blocks the aisle and can obstruct an evacuation; turbulence also turns an unsecured body into a projectile. The…
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Extruded snowboard bases retain less wax than sintered ones
Sintered plastic starts as tiny beads fused together, leaving microscopic gaps for wax to fill. Extruded plastic comes out denser and smoother, with fewer…
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Houseboats are mostly just unmoving floating homes
The hull keeps a houseboat afloat; an engine and navigation gear are separate matters. Plenty stay tied to shore, where the view is nautical and the commute…
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Hydrofoil passenger boats lift their hulls to glide faster
Underwater wings push the boat upward as it gains speed, lifting most of the hull clear of the water. Less hull means less drag, so the boat skims along while…
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Boxcars enclose standard palletized freight
Forklifts slide standard pallets through the boxcar doors, letting freight move in ready-made stacks instead of one box at a time. The walls shield the load…
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Why cars have a third brake light
The third brake light sits high in the rear window, where drivers behind can see it above the car in front. That extra line of sight gives a warning the lower…
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Gated biological tunnels for charged atoms
A cell’s membrane is a wall with protein gates: a signal opens a tiny tunnel, and charged atoms flow through it. The cell gets a bouncer that checks…
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V-shaped airplane tails combine two wings into one
The two slanted panels of a V-tail work together: moving them in concert pitches the nose up or down, while moving them against each other steers left or…
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Bicycle saddles feature intentional cutouts
A saddle cutout takes pressure off the soft tissue between the sit bones, where a solid saddle presses during a ride. It’s a small gap with a very specific…
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Mumbai gave extreme crowding its own technical name
“Super Dense Crush Load” describes suburban trains carrying passengers at densities around 14–16 people per square meter. At that scale, standing space…
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To turn right, motorcyclists first steer left
At speed, riders initiate a turn by pushing forward on the inside handlebar, briefly steering the opposite way so the bike leans into the turn.
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France built a water staircase to avoid sailing around Spain
The Canal du Midi joins the Mediterranean to the Garonne system, forming part of a route toward the Atlantic. Locks let boats cross changes in elevation that…
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