What shape are ball bearings? They are shaped like a ball, as everyone knows, right?
The funny thing about what everyone knows is that everyone can be wrong. For instance, everybody thinks that the America’s Cup is an ocean-sailing race, and yet the Swiss managed to win the Cup. For those readers who are geographically-challenged, Switzerland is a land-locked country comprised entirely of mountains.
What does this have to do with ball bearings. Very little, I suspect, but balls have very little to do with ball bearings, either. Ball bearings look more like hula hoops. But don’t try using them for that you will find them inconveniently heavy and painfully small.
You can view a picture of a ball bearing in the middle of this ball bearing supplier’s page.
So what are those stunted metal tube donuts called ball bearings for anyway? Are they used as a spare wheel? Do they hold in evil shop-floor spirits? No, they help things move more efficiently. In an early demonstration of bearing usage, three ladies pulled a locomotive (It was just a demonstration, not a career development).
Many bearings look very similar, whether they...