Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Key ridges lift spring-loaded split pins to unlock door cylinders. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a everyday life fact?

Yes. It sits on the Everyday Life shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Cylinder pin-tumbler door locks align split pins along a shear line

Key ridges lift spring-loaded split pins to unlock door cylinders

Linus Yale Jr. patented the modern pin-tumbler cylinder lock in 1861, building on ancient Egyptian lock concepts. Inside the lock cylinder, pairs of spring-loaded driver and key pins rest across a shear line. Inserting the correctly cut key aligns the pin splits along the shear boundary, allowing the plug to turn.

Security cylinder photograph — Sekuloff · CC BY-SA 3.0 · licence · source

Where this comes from

Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

Go further

Technology trivia Logic Challenge

More facts like this

Door key notches act as mechanical physical passwords for locksGround key blade cut depths lift internal door pins to the exact shear line Supermarket trolley locks require coins to encourage bay returnsInterlocking coin mechanisms incentivize shoppers to return trolleys to parking stacks Banknote microprinting deters low-resolution digital photocopiersMicroscopic banknote text turns blurry when scanned on standard office copiers Brain was the first computer virus designed for IBM PC compatible computersTwo Pakistani brothers wrote the boot sector virus in 1986 to prevent software piracy Cardboard toilet paper cores were introduced in the late 1800sCylindrical core tubes maintain roll shape for smooth bathroom dispensing Mary Anderson patented the mechanical car windscreen wiper in 1903A lever-operated rubber blade cleared sleet from trolley and car windscreens

Tags: locks, keys, security

Cylinder pin-tumbler door locks align split pins along a shear line: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Key ridges lift spring-loaded split pins to unlock door cylinders. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a everyday life fact?: Yes. It sits on the Everyday Life shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.