How a Car Differential Lets Wheels Turn at Different Speeds
In short: How the gears between a car's driven wheels share the engine's power while letting the outside wheel turn faster in a corner, from Pecqueur's 1827 design to electric cars with no mechanical differential.
A 1:52 short film in the series “How Things Work”, narrated by intellect_voice_01.
Sources used in this film: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. (archived copy via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine), “Differential gear”; Smithsonian National Museum of American History, “South-Pointing Chariot Model”; U.S. Navy, Naval Education and Training (NAVEDTRA 14264A, Construction Mechanic Basic, Chapter 11), hosted on media.defense.gov, “140620-N-ZZ182-6551.pdf”; Durham Technical Community College (Durham Tech), Automotive program course outline AUT 231, “AUT 231 Manual Drive Train and Axles”; Automotive Gurukul, GOLN, “Rear axle and differential - Lesson 5 - Automotive Gurukul, GOLN”; Engineering Letters (IAENG), article by Gadola, Chindamo and Lenzo (University of Brescia and Sheffield Hallam University), hosted on the Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive (SHURA), “Lenzo-RevisitingMechanicalLimited-slip(VoR).pdf”; MDPI, Applied Sciences journal (2023 peer-reviewed article by Karakašić, Konjatić, Glavaš and Grgić, University of Slavonski Brod and Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia), “Influence of Open Differential Design on the Mass Reduction Function”; Springer (journal Meccanica); article by Andrea Mangia, Basilio Lenzo & Edoardo Sabbioni, published 7 March 2021, “An integrated torque-vectoring control framework for electric vehicles featuring multiple handling and energy-efficiency modes selectable by the driver”; University of Houston, Cullen College of Engineering: The Engines of Our Ingenuity (episode No. 3358 by John H. Lienhard, first aired March 2, 2026), “Onesiphore Pecqueur”.
Sources used in this film
- Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. (archived copy via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine) — Differential gear · View →
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History — South-Pointing Chariot Model · View →
- U.S. Navy, Naval Education and Training (NAVEDTRA 14264A, Construction Mechanic Basic, Chapter 11), hosted on media.defense.gov — 140620-N-ZZ182-6551.pdf · View →
- Durham Technical Community College (Durham Tech), Automotive program course outline AUT 231 — AUT 231 Manual Drive Train and Axles · View →
- Automotive Gurukul, GOLN — Rear axle and differential - Lesson 5 - Automotive Gurukul, GOLN · View →
- Engineering Letters (IAENG), article by Gadola, Chindamo and Lenzo (University of Brescia and Sheffield Hallam University), hosted on the Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive (SHURA) — Lenzo-RevisitingMechanicalLimited-slip(VoR).pdf · View →
- MDPI, Applied Sciences journal (2023 peer-reviewed article by Karakašić, Konjatić, Glavaš and Grgić, University of Slavonski Brod and Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia) — Influence of Open Differential Design on the Mass Reduction Function · View →
- Springer (journal Meccanica); article by Andrea Mangia, Basilio Lenzo & Edoardo Sabbioni, published 7 March 2021 — An integrated torque-vectoring control framework for electric vehicles featuring multiple handling and energy-efficiency modes selectable by the driver · View →
- University of Houston, Cullen College of Engineering: The Engines of Our Ingenuity (episode No. 3358 by John H. Lienhard, first aired March 2, 2026) — Onesiphore Pecqueur · View →
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. (archived copy via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine): Differential gear
- Also: Smithsonian National Museum of American History: South-Pointing Chariot Model
- Also: U.S. Navy, Naval Education and Training (NAVEDTRA 14264A, Construction Mechanic Basic, Chapter 11), hosted on media.defe: 140620-N-ZZ182-6551.pdf
- Also: Durham Technical Community College (Durham Tech), Automotive program course outline AUT 231: AUT 231 Manual Drive Train and Axles
- Also: Automotive Gurukul, GOLN: Rear axle and differential - Lesson 5 - Automotive Gurukul, GOLN
- Also: Engineering Letters (IAENG), article by Gadola, Chindamo and Lenzo (University of Brescia and Sheffield Hallam Universit: Lenzo-RevisitingMechanicalLimited-slip(VoR).pdf
- Also: MDPI, Applied Sciences journal (2023 peer-reviewed article by Karakašić, Konjatić, Glavaš and Grgić, University of Slavo: Influence of Open Differential Design on the Mass Reduction Function
- Also: Springer (journal Meccanica); article by Andrea Mangia, Basilio Lenzo & Edoardo Sabbioni, published 7 March 2021: An integrated torque-vectoring control framework for electric vehicles featuring multiple handling and energy-efficiency modes selectable by the driver
- Also: University of Houston, Cullen College of Engineering: The Engines of Our Ingenuity (episode No. 3358 by John H. Lienhard: Onesiphore Pecqueur
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