Converting Rotary to Linear Motion using Rack & Pinion

As the summer heat builds, we all look forward to the annual family vacation. Whether the trip takes us to the mountains, or to the shore, or to an amusement park, the first part of the vacation is the drive there. Prepping the car for the journey is just the first step in this annual rite of passage. The second is finding suitable entertainment for the children so that you don’t have to hear “are we there yet?” repeatedly. Educationally minded parents will try to inject some math learning into this situation by showing the children where they are going on a map and asking them to figure out how long the trip will take if they are traveling 60 miles per hour. This relationship between speed and travel distance also has implications in the world of gearing.