ELI5: How does a car work

A car is a giant metal machine on wheels that turns energy from fuel into motion so you and your family can travel anywhere you need to go.

Think of a car like your own body getting ready to run:

• The Engine (The Muscles): Just like you eat food to get energy to run at the playground, the car drinks gasoline or uses battery electricity. Inside the engine, tiny drops of fuel mix with air and make controlled, microscopic pops. These pops push parts up and down very fast, just like your knees pumping up and down while riding a bicycle.
• The Transmission (The Bicycle Gears): All that fast pumping energy goes into the transmission, which acts like the gears on a bike. It decides whether the car needs extra strength to climb a steep hill, or extra speed to zoom down the highway.
• The Axles and Wheels (The Feet): Long metal rods called axles connect the gears to the wheels. When the rods spin, the rubber tires grip the pavement and push the whole car forward, just like your sneakers pushing against the sidewalk.
• The Steering Wheel and Pedals (The Brain): The driver sits inside and controls everything. Turning the steering wheel points the front tires left or right. Stepping on the gas pedal feeds more fuel to the engine to go faster, while stepping on the brake pedal squeezes the wheels with special friction pads to slow the car down and bring it to a safe stop at a red light.