How do cars brake efficiently, even on slopes?

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I’m no expert in cars and how they work, which is definitely why I don’t know the answer to this question. What I don’t get is how cars, even when going down a slope at high speed, can gradually slow down and freeze, even when on a steep slope. Why does it not roll down? I don’t get how the tires freeze the car like glue, like shouldn’t it move slightly at least?

EDIT: I definitely worded this badly lmao. I was more interested in how cars on steep slopes don’t move on slopes, because wouldn’t an object without wheels still slide downwards when on a slope?

EDIT 2: Thanks for answering the question. It makes sense now that the friction of the rubber tires and the material on the road is what keeps it so still when brakes are applied on slopes.

In: Physics

6 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Alright, imagine you’re playing with a toy car on a slope. When you want to stop it from rolling down, you press a button, right? Well, real cars have something similar called brakes.

Now, picture the brakes like a superhero’s hands grabbing onto the wheels of the car. When you press the brake pedal in your car, it tells these superhero hands to squeeze the wheels really tight. This squeezing slows down the wheels, which then slow down the car.

But here’s the clever part: cars have special systems that help them brake efficiently even when they’re on slopes. These systems can tell if the car is on a slope and adjust how hard the brakes squeeze accordingly. So, even if the hill tries to pull the car down faster, the brakes hold on tight enough to keep it safe and slow. It’s like having an extra smart helper making sure the car stops just right, no matter where it is!

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