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hydraulics: Quick Facts

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Photos

Close-up of chrome-plated hydraulic piston shafts and yellow cylinders on heavy machinery, with black hoses attached to the pistons.
A diagram illustrating Pascal's principle in hydraulics shows a small piston on the left applying force to a fluid, which is transmitted to a larger piston on the right lifting a car. The diagram labels the areas, forces, and equations demonstrating how a small force on a small area creates a larger force on a larger area.
hydraulic mining
Diagram illustrating the hydraulic fracturing process for shale gas extraction, showing a drilling rig, underground well casings, fracking fluid injection, horizontal drilling in shale, and surface equipment for separating gas and fluids. Insets highlight the well structure, fluid injection into shale, and gas flow pathways.
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Key People

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Osborne Reynolds
British engineer and physicist
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Henri-Émile Bazin
French engineer
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Paolo Frisi
Italian physicist
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Domenico Guglielmini
Italian mathematician