Everyday things, cut open.
Shorts under a minute and in-depth teardowns that show what's inside the machines you use every day, and the science that makes them work.
Cut of the weekGadgets & ElectronicsHow a Phone Charger Shrinks Wall Power
A phone charger doesn’t just step down the mains. It rectifies it, chops it thousands of times a second and rebuilds it as safe, low-voltage DC. Here’s how.
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Body & Medical
Medical devices and how the body works. Every article is reviewed by a qualified professional.
Everyday Objects
Zippers, locks, lighters, pens, umbrellas: the small things nobody explains.
Gadgets & Electronics
Phones, batteries, chargers, earbuds and screens.
Home Appliances
Refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, water heaters and irons.
Kitchen
Rice cookers, gas stoves, blenders, microwaves and pressure cookers.
Machines & Tools
Generators, water pumps, drills and welders.
Vehicles
Motorcycles, CVTs, brakes, spark plugs and electric cars.
Same parts, different machines
The capacitor in your phone charger and the one in an air conditioner do the same job. Learn a part once and you will start spotting it everywhere.
Follow the electricity
From a spinning magnet to the cold inside your fridge, in four teardowns. Read them in order and each one makes the next click.
The same few ideas, everywhere
Chemistry & Combustion
Reactions that release or store energy.
Electromagnetism
How electric currents create magnetic forces, and back again.
Electronics & Circuits
How components shape and switch electric current.
Fluids & Pressure
How liquids and gases push, flow and seal.
Light & Optics
How light is made, bent and detected.
Materials
Why things are made of what they are made of.
Mechanics & Leverage
Forces, levers, gears and springs.
Thermodynamics
How heat moves and turns into work.
What should we cut open next?
Tell us the object you have always wondered about. The best questions become the next Short and teardown.