Touch it. Move it. Look inside.
Turn on the pump. Drag the bucket or the round handles.
What pushes and pulls the connected digger arm?
The engine powers a hydraulic pump. The pump supplies a flow of hydraulic fluid through hoses. A control valve directs the flow. Pressure builds as the cylinders push against a load. The cylinders extend or retract, moving the linked boom, stick and bucket.
Try lifting the boom and tipping the bucket separately using the round handles on the machine.
Turn the blades with your finger, or add wind.
Wind moving past the shaped blades creates aerodynamic forces that make the rotor turn. The rotor drives a shaft, carrying mechanical energy into the nacelle. The generator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. Cables carry that electricity away.
Some turbines have a gearbox to change shaft speed; other turbines use a direct-drive generator. A gearbox is a design choice, not a required part of every wind turbine.
Tap the big picture to discover how it works.
Water, a turning drum and a speedy spin.
Water • motor • drum • pump
Tap the big picture to discover how it works.
A little flush with a clever water trap.
Cistern • valve • trap • drain
Tap the big picture to discover how it works.
Follow clean water all the way home.
Treatment • mains • service pipe • tap
Tap the big picture to discover how it works.
Electricity makes the wheels turn.
Wire • pantograph • motor • wheels
Tap the big picture to discover how it works.
Discover thrust, lift and clever wings.
Thrust • lift • drag • controls