The human race has always been fascinated with machines. From the earliest days, they’ve built things that do things—cogs, gears, pulleys, and levers, all working together to turn one thing into another.
They made machines bigger and more efficient than ever, and they started taking over their jobs over time. Nowadays, most people have no idea how to do anything at all without the help of a machine or computer program.
These machines are made up of different parts. Cogs and gears are the two main components of a machine. Cogs are the smaller gears that transfer energy from one gear to another, while gears are more significant, heavier pieces that make up the body of a machine.
The main difference between a cog and a gear is their size and shape. Cog teeth are small, circular protrusions from the surface of the wheel or disk on which they’re mounted, while gear teeth have a more triangular shape.
Moreover, cogs are used for driving a wheel or axle, while gears are used for changing the rotation speed.
Let’s discuss these two tools in detail.
What Is A Cog?
A cog is a wheel with teeth, and it’s used to transmit power. Cogs are used in many machines, including printing presses, clocks, and bicycles.
The word “cog” comes from the Old Norse word “koggr”, which means “tooth.” The first cogs were made out of wood or metal. They had to be replaced every time they wore down, which was very often because they didn’t have any lubricant to keep them running smoothly.
As technology advanced, cogs got more robust and more durable. They also became smaller because they were now made from metal instead of wood. Today’s cogs are made from steel alloys much stronger than the original wooden ones.
What Is A Gear?
Gears are circular discs with teeth on their edges, which mesh with each other to transmit motion.
The main types of gears are spur gears and helical gears.
- Spur gears have straight teeth that intersect at an angle of 90 degrees;
- Helical gears have curved teeth that form a spiral.
Gears transmit torque and rotational motion between two shafts that are not in line with each other. They also allow for high-speed and high-torque changes in direction. This can be done by using different numbers of teeth on the two shafts or by changing the teeth’ shape (spur vs. helical).
Gears are used in many machines and applications: automotive transmissions, clocks, watches, bicycles, sewing machines, pumps, and turbines.
Cogs VS Gears: Know The Difference
Gears and cogs are two types of mechanical components that are often used together to create a machine or device. While “gear” and “cog” are sometimes used interchangeably, there are important differences between gears and cogs.
The main difference between cogs and gears is that gears transmit motion between two rotating shafts, while cogs are generally used to transmit motion between a rotating shaft and some axial load.
- Cogs are usually circular disks with teeth on their edges, while gears are typically curved or cylindrical.
- Gears are typically used to transmit power. Conversely, cogs are typically used to transfer motion from one place to another without transferring power.
- Gears are made from metal alloys such as steel, while cogs can be made from almost any material—wooden cogs were historically used in clocks.
- Cogs are typically smaller than gears and are used in applications where space is limited, such as micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS).
- Cogs have a higher ratio than gears, meaning they have more teeth per inch or millimeter than gears.
- Gears have longer life spans than cogs because they are made out of harder materials and do not tend to wear out as quickly as cogs.
Here is a table of comparison between these two tools for you.
| Cog | Gear |
| A circular disk with teeth on the circumference. | A circular disc with triangular-shaped teeth carved in it. |
| It’s smaller in size. | It’s pretty significant in size. |
| It’s made up of wood, plastic, or metal. | It’s mostly made up of metal. |
| It’s not durable due to continuous wear and tear. | It’s pretty durable as it’s made of hard material. |
Here is an interesting video clip about cogs and gears.
Is Cog Or Gear A Wheel?
Cogs and gears are not wheels at all, but they are the parts that make up a wheel.
When you look at a wheel, you’ll see cogs and gears in different shapes and sizes—the smaller ones are called teeth and are used on pulleys, while the larger ones are called sprockets. The axles these parts rotate are also considered part of the wheel.
Are Gear And Cog The Same Thing?
A gear is a rotating assembly of teeth, or cogs, that mesh with the teeth of another toothed member.
A cog is a toothed wheel or pinion that engages another toothed member (such as a rack) and converts rotary motion into linear motion or vice versa.
They are not the same thing, but they are often used interchangeably in casual conversation.
What Is The Biggest Cog?
The biggest cog is the wheel. The wheel turns the other pieces of machinery, like the conveyor belt and the pulley. The wheel is also the only piece of machinery not directly involved in moving materials around—it rotates while everything else moves.
What Is A Gear Used For?
A gear is a device that transmits rotational motion. It is circular and typically has teeth on its circumference. Gears are used in various applications, including clocks, bicycles, automobiles, and aircraft. They can also be used to transmit power from one shaft to another.
Gears are used with other components, such as pulleys and belts. The combination of gears and pulleys allows objects to be lifted at various rates depending on the gears’ ratio. This ratio is calculated using the number of teeth on each gear divided by the number of teeth on its mating part (the next higher or lower).
Bottom Line
- Gears and cogs transfer power from one place to another, but they have key differences.
- Cogs work by meshing teeth with each other, while gears use a series of plates that rotate around a shaft to transmit power.
- Cogs generally have more teeth than gears, which means that cogs can transmit more torque than gears can.
- Gears can also transmit power but require more finesse from their users because they must determine when to stop using one gear and start using another.