ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Vehicle brake

Do you know what happens when you try to run too fast and then you have to stop all of a sudden? You might trip and fall down, right? Well, vehicles like cars, trucks, and buses also need to stop sometimes when they're going too fast, and that's where the brakes come in.

So, imagine you're riding in a car and you want to make the car stop. Your dad or mom or whoever is driving will press a special pedal with their foot. This pedal is called the brake pedal, and it's like a big stop button for the car. When they press the pedal, it tells the car to slow down and eventually stop.

Now, do you know how the brake pedal actually makes the car stop? There's something called the braking system, which is made up of a few different parts.

First, there are the brake pads. These are little flat things that press against the wheels of the car when the brake pedal is pressed. Imagine putting your hand on a spinning wheel to make it stop - that's kind of what the brake pads do.

But the brake pads can't just press against the wheels on their own. They need something to help them, and that's where brake fluid comes in. Brake fluid is a special kind of liquid that goes through tubes in the car and helps push the brake pads against the wheels. It's like a helper that makes sure the brakes work really well.

Finally, there's something called the brake rotor. This is a big flat disc that the brake pads press against. When the pads press against the rotor, it's like they're giving it a big hug and making it stop spinning.

And that's how the brakes work! It's pretty neat, right? It's important to have good brakes on a vehicle so that you can stop safely and avoid accidents.