Did You Know

• Shock absorber, device for reducing the effect of a sudden shock by the dissipation of the shock's energy. On an automobile, springs and shock absorbers are mounted between the wheels and the frame. When the wheels hit a hole or a raised spot on a road, the springs absorb the resultant shock by expanding and contracting. To prevent the springs from shaking the frame excessively, their motion is restrained by shock absorbers, which are also known by the more descriptive term dampers. The type of shock absorber found on automobiles is usually a hydraulic type that has a casing consisting of two tubes, one telescoping into the other. In order for a spring to expand and contract, it must pull apart and push together the ends of this shock absorber.