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A clean flat air filter. Cars

What is an Air Filter?

An air filter is part of a car's intake system. Essential for helping the engine work properly, a clogged air filter can cause...

By
Katharine Swan
Airships, like the non-rigid dirigibles that are often seen at sporting events, use helium, a gas that is lighter than air, to stay aloft. Cars

What are Dirigibles?

A dirigible is a type of buoyant engine-powered craft with a steering mechanism. Also known as airships, dirigibles are often...

By
Mary McMahon

Editors' Picks

Cutaway view of a transmission. Cars

What is a Transmission?

A transmission is a mechanical device that allows power to be sent from a power source to a mechanism. In cars, the transmission...

By
Eric Tallberg
An auto mechanic can perform regular car maintenance. Cars

What is Vehicle Maintenance?

Vehicle maintenance is the process of servicing a vehicle on a regular basis to keep it from having a major breakdown or needing...

By
Felicia Dye
Now referred to as a "pilot", cow catchers on modern locomotives still act to clear small obstacles from the track. Cars

What is a Cow Catcher?

A cow catcher is a device attached to the front of a train to clear obstacles from a track. In modern trains, the cow catcher...

By
Niki Foster

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The SUV is designed to travel off-road. Cars

What is an SUV?

An SUV is a combination of a truck and a minivan. Though SUVs were originally designed as off-road vehicles, the SUV market has...

By
J. Beam
Subways typically run on electricity, which is provided through the "third rail." Cars

What is a Subway?

A subway is a train system that operates entirely in underground tunnels. In most modern subway systems, the lines are arranged...

By
Mary McMahon
A sailboat is "tacking" when it is using a course that keeps reversing, or "zigzagging", to gradually move along a course that is against the wind. Cars

In Sailing, what is Tacking?

Tacking is the practice of adjusting the sails to keep the bow turning through the wind and alternately filling the sails from one...

By
Jonathan Stevens
In drag races, two cars are pitted against one another and have a very short length of track to cover to see which has the superior acceleration ability. Cars

What is Drag Racing?

Drag racing is a vehicle competition that uses straight, level, short quarter mile or half mile tracks. The way that a drag race...

By
R. Kayne

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