An Animated Gif that Shows How a Key Opens a Standard Lock

This might be old news to some, but I’ll cop to the fact that I had more-or-less zero idea how a key and lock actually works. Something with tumblers and cylinders and somethingorother… 

And then, I watched this animated gif, and everything makes perfect sense, and I feel sorta silly for not knowing it before.    

Fascinating, right?

Which, then, begs the question: how does lock-picking work? And the answer, from the same artist:

By Stian Berg Larsen  [via Gizmodo]

Also, for more gif goodness, check out this mesmerizing animation of a sewing machine in action