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Technology

How the gadgets around us actually work.

TechnologyHow do noise-cancelling headphones work?Microphones pick up the noise around you, a chip creates a mirror-image sound wave, and the speaker plays it so the two waves cancel each other out. TechnologyHow do planes fly?A wing is shaped and tilted so it pushes air downward. That leaves lower pressure above the wing and higher pressure below, and the plane is lifted up as long as it keeps its speed. TechnologyHow does a car airbag work?Sensors detect a crash and send a signal to an inflator, which uses a fast chemical reaction to fill the bag with gas in about 30 milliseconds. The bag cushions you and then deflates right away. TechnologyHow does wireless charging work?A coil in the charging pad creates a changing magnetic field. A second coil inside your phone picks up that field and turns it back into electricity for the battery.