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Why Does Only 1 of 4 Engine Strokes Actually Produce Power?

Only one of your engine's four strokes actually produces power; the other three just set it up. And even that power stroke wastes about 70% of the fuel's energy as heat, making the internal combustion engine one of the least efficient machines you rely on daily.

Read this explainer Automotive · 8 min read

34 Interactive Explainers

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Home Systems

9 explainers

How a Refrigerator Works Why Does Your Fridge Make the Kitchen Warmer to Keep Food Cold?

How a Toilet Works Why Does Your Toilet Make That Gurgling Sound at the End of a Flush?

How a Microwave Oven Works Why Does Your Leftover Pizza Have Scalding Hot Spots and Ice-Cold Bites?

How a Lock Works Why Can Five Tiny Pins Stop a 200-Pound Door from Opening?

How a Dishwasher Works Why Does Your Dishwasher Use Less Water Than Washing by Hand?

How a Water Heater Works Why Do You Always Run Out of Hot Water at the Worst Moment?

How a Vacuum Cleaner Works Why does covering the hose make your vacuum <em>scream</em> louder?

How Air Conditioning Works Why does your air conditioner make the outside even <em>hotter?</em>

How an Oven Works Why Does Your Oven Temperature Swing 30 Degrees Every Cycle?

All Home Systems

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Technology

11 explainers

How the Internet Works How Does Your Data Cross an Ocean in 60 Milliseconds?

How WiFi Works Why Does Your WiFi Get Worse When Your Neighbor Microwaves Popcorn?

How a Battery Works Why Does Your Phone Battery Die Faster in the Cold?

How an Electric Motor Works Why Does an Electric Motor Keep Spinning Instead of Locking in Place?

How a Jet Engine Works Why Does 80% of a Jet Engine's Thrust Come From Air That Never Touches Fire?

How GPS Works How Does Your Phone Know Exactly Where You Are When It Never Sends a Signal to Space?

How Bluetooth Works Why Do Your Earbuds Keep Working When WiFi Is Using the Same Frequency?

How an Elevator Works Why Does Every Elevator Hide a 10-Ton Block of Concrete?

How a 3D Printer Works Why Are 3D-Printed Objects Mostly Hollow Inside?

10 min read →

How a Nuclear Submarine Works Why Can a Nuclear Submarine Stay Underwater for 25 Years Without Refueling?

10 min read →

How a Computer Works How Does Sand Process Billions of Instructions Per Second?

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Science

3 explainers

How Electricity Works If Electrons Barely Move, How Does Flipping a Switch Light Up a Room Instantly?

How a Telescope Works Why Can a Backyard Telescope See Galaxies 2.5 Million Light-Years Away?

10 min read →

How a Gun Works What Happens Inside a Barrel in Under 2 Milliseconds?

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Automotive

4 explainers

How a Car Engine Works Why Does Only 1 of 4 Engine Strokes Actually Produce Power?

How a Turbocharger Works Why Does Your Turbo Spin Faster Than a Jet Engine -- And Still Need to Be Slowed Down?

How an Electric Car Works Why Does Your Car Get Faster by Slowing Down?

How a Transmission Works Why Does Shifting Gears Never Actually Move a Single Gear?

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The Body

4 explainers

How the Human Heart Works Why Does Your Heart Keep Beating Even Without Your Brain?

How the Immune System Works Why Can't the Same Cold Trick Your Body Twice?

How the Lungs Work Why Can't You Hold Your Breath Forever?

How Muscles Work Why Can't You Flex at Full Strength on Command?

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Energy

3 explainers

How Solar Panels Work How Does Sunlight Knock Electrons Free to Power Your Home?

How a Nuclear Reactor Works What Keeps a Nuclear Chain Reaction from Spiraling Out of Control?

How a Wind Turbine Works Why Do Wind Turbine Blades Spin So Slowly and Still Produce Megawatts?

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🏠 Home Systems 💻 Technology 🔬 Science 🚗 Automotive 🫀 The Body ⚡ Energy