Tekerlek

Te kerlek is the Turkish term for wheel: a circular disk that rotates around a central axle, designed to roll along a surface and reduce friction compared with sliding. By pairing a wheel with an axle, a load can be moved with less input force, and a constant contact point with the ground provides stability and direction.

History shows that the wheel emerged in the Bronze Age in the Near East, with the first known wheeled vehicles dating to around 3500 BCE in Mesopotamia. Its adoption transformed transport, agriculture, and later machinery, enabling longer trade routes, more efficient labor, and the development of complex technologies. The wheel and axle principle yields mechanical advantage and is a foundational concept in engineering.

Construction and types vary. Solid wheels were common on early carts; spoked wheels reduce weight while maintaining strength; disc wheels are used in some high-performance contexts. Modern wheels are often metal or composite, and many carry a tire—rubber or synthetic—around a rim to increase grip, cushion shock, and maintain surface contact. In bicycles and automobiles, wheels typically include hubs, rims, spokes (in some designs), bearings, and tires; rail wheels use hardened steel wheels on steel rails, while caster wheels enable mobility for furniture and equipment.

Applications and physics: A wheel enables rolling motion with less friction than sliding, with rolling resistance depending on material, surface, and inflation. For rolling without slipping, linear speed equals the product of radius and angular speed (v = r × ω). The wheel is a fundamental component of many vehicles and machines, and underpins a wide range of industrial and everyday technologies.