# Why do we need bearings?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-bearings/789564
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 21, 2017, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-bearings/789564 "2017-06-21T20:27:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-bearings/789564/21 "2017-06-22T15:44:06Z")
What I want to know is why do we use this word for navigation?
---
### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2017, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-bearings/789564/22 "2017-06-22T15:48:39Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#):
>
> Something’s getting lost in translation; I’m still not understanding the issue. Certainly the outer/inner races have different diameters, but why would the balls have difficulty rolling on both surfaces? Can you point to a picture or YouTube video or something?
I better make sure I’ve got this right first, and **jz78817** is making me think I don’t.
---
### Author:  [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2017, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-bearings/789564/23 "2017-06-22T16:20:35Z")
> [@jz78817](#):
>
> if that was true, planetary gears wouldn’t be possible.
That’s kind of what I was thinking - there are even [gear bearing units](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gear_bearing) that serve both purposes simultaneously.
---
### Author:  [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-bearings/789564/24 "2017-06-22T16:24:21Z")
Come on guys. It’s so simple maybe you need a refresher course. It’s all ball bearings nowadays.
---
### Author:  [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2017, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-bearings/789564/25 "2017-06-22T16:39:56Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#):
>
> What I want to know is why do we use this word for navigation?
You cannot get where you want to go without your bearings!
---
### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-bearings/789564/26 "2017-06-22T16:55:52Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#):
>
> That’s kind of what I was thinking - there are even [gear bearing units](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gear_bearing) that serve both purposes simultaneously.
Yeah, makes sense. Don’t know what I was thinking of.
---
### Author:  [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2017, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-bearings/789564/27 "2017-06-22T17:42:39Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#):
>
> What I want to know is why do we use this word for navigation?
Same etymology: to “bear” is to carry/convey. Thus, “bear west” means to carry/convey/move west. A more active expression might be to say “we are bearing west.” Not too big a stretch to then simply use the gerund form to refer to the direction in which you bear as a bearing.
[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-bearings/789564.md?page=1)