Quite simply, a gear is a cylindrical object with a series of grooves in its sides. A gear works in relation to other gears in the internal mechanics of many different types of machinery. When one gear is rotated, either by a motor or some other means, that gear rotates the next gear, and so on and so forth.
A good example that many of us are likely familiar with is the basic analog clock. If you were to take one apart, you would find a complex series of gears, along with springs and batteries. As long as the power supply is still in place, you can even watch the gears in action, to get a basic idea of how they work.
To begin using gears, a first gear is placed, followed by a second of the same size. The grooves are interlaced at a point. When this configuration is reached, spinning one gear in a clockwise direction would cause the other gear to spin in a counter-clockwise direction at the same rate of spin.
Many other gears of the same size could be added, and their spins would also depend on their orientation to the manually spun gear. This configuration is also not necessarily two-dimensional, since gears can also be interlaced at right angles to each other. Given proper supports, it is possible to have a very complex three-dimensional series of gears, which would all spin on their own in response to the manual spinning of one.
In addition, gears of different sizes can be joined together, as long as their grooves were identically spaced. In this case, if the larger gears were manually spun in a clockwise direction, then the smaller gear would spin counter-clockwise as mentioned above, but in this case the smaller gear would spin at a faster rate than the larger gear. Between gears, belts can also be added, in order to spin those gears, which may not actually be touching.
As far as using gears in machinery, there are a few options. The process can be begun manually, with a simply crank or handle used to spin the first gear. Another option is to use a motor along with a power source to spin the first gear. Either method would suffice to run the machine to which it is equipped. And alternative use for gears, however, is their ability to help turn manpower into energy.
With the right setup, a manually turned gear can be used to power a motor, which can create electricity. An example of this is a hand-powered flashlight. Compression of the handle causes the gears to turn, which charges the motor, which causes the light to come on.
With a little attention, it becomes very easy to see how gears play a part in almost all of the machinery around us every day. With a little knowledge, it is possible to begin to build complex mechanical devices. This simple shape has given us the ability to create the world we live in today.
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