Tire

High school (ages 12+)
Transportation

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/tire

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the pneumatic tire patentee?Robert William Thomson (1846), with significant popularization by John Boyd Dunlop (1888)
2. What is the key material advancements?Vulcanization of rubber (1840s), development of radial ply construction (mid-20th century)
3. What is a tire and why do we need it?A tire is a rubber circle that touches the road and helps a car move, brake, and steer. It transfers the vehicle’s forces to the road so the car can drive safely.
4. How did the first air‑filled tire change cars?The pneumatic tire, invented by John Boyd Dunlop in 1888, added a cushion of air that made rides smoother and improved car performance.

Bias-ply Tire: Tire construction where fabric plies run diagonally across the tire from bead to bead.
Radial Tire: Tire construction where plies run radially across the tire, perpendicular to the direction of travel.
Contact Patch: The portion of the tire that is in direct contact with the road surface at any given moment.