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How do brakes work? |
Brakes are found on most vehicles, and it’s a good thing! Otherwise we’d have no way to stop our cars or bikes without crashing into something!
In cars, the brakes are operated by a pedal under the driver’s feet. Pushing that pedal does something pretty neat. It pushes a special liquid through tubes that run to the brakes! This fluid puts a lot of pressure on the brakes, pushing them into the spinning wheels. Just like we can use our hands to grip something tightly, special pads on the brakes grip the wheels tightly. Their strength causes the wheels to lose energy, slow down and eventually stop spinning.
Bikes have brakes that work in the same way, though they don’t have fluid in them. Some you squeeze with your hands and some work when you pedal backwards. They all put pressure on the spinning wheels. The pressure takes energy away from the wheels and you come to a stop.
Under a lot of pressure!
The fluid found in car brakes plays a huge role in making the brakes powerful. But how can something like a liquid be so strong? It’s hard to imagine something like water stopping a fast-moving car.
Liquids are actually pretty powerful! They don’t like being trapped and if they build up pressure, they get really strong! If you use your finger to try to block the water from coming out of the faucet on your sink, you’re going to have a pretty hard time. You’ll feel the pressure of the water, and it will push your finger away! The water might spray all over the place too, so be careful and have a grown-up with you if you’re going to try it!