Nothing break up a pleasant drive more than the suddenklunkof take place over a chuckhole . Your drinkable spills . You lead off to get uneasy about tire damage . You inquire why city official have n’t fixed it yet .
But how do chuckhole form in the first place ? lie the blame on science .
When pee seeps into the rock , gravel , and soil underneath asphalt and thenfreezes , it expands , acting a piddling bit like a diddlyshit that applies pressure against the pavement . With the asphalt sabotage and cracking , it becomes easier and well-situated for water to bottom the surface , moderate to reprise freeze - thaw cycles and more structural damage . Melting ice leaves gap and vacuum .
With all this happening , the burden of traffic over the sidewalk does n’t turn back . It ram the asphalt into the gaps create by the melted ice . Over a point of fourth dimension , the intact procedure result in a kettle of fish that ’s designate to make you run out your umber .
Because of these freeze - thaw cycles , potholes are morecommonin the recent wintertime and spring than during other time of the year .
And yes , potholes can do damage to cable car tyre , puncturing them or bending the rims . you may forfend misadventure by keeping a good following aloofness from the car in front of you — in the event it brake or slew to avoid a chuckhole — and fend off swerving yourself if you see one . ( drive over a chuckhole at an angle might be bad . ) rather , try braking until you reset the gap .
The wordpothole , incidentally , come from pottery God Almighty in England in the 15th and sixteenth century , who would excavate the estrus made by wagon and coach wheel to regain clay [ PDF ] . The big kettle of fish would then be dub apotholeby aggrieve travelers , which we use — often with an cuss — to this very 24-hour interval .
Have you got a Big interrogative sentence you ’d like us to respond ? If so , let us love by e-mail us atbigquestions@mentalfloss.com .
