Mechanism

Amechanismis a mechanical device for doing something. It includes the idea oftoolsandmachines,but is used for a wider range ofobjects,processesandideas.

Palaeolithichand axeswere one of the first tools used. Simple modern mechanisms would be ropepulleysorlevers.Theinternal combustion engineis a mechanism for turningoilintomotion.A complicated example would becomputersand theweb.

The word "mechanism" is also used as ametaphor.Thecelestialmechanics ofKeplerandNewtonis a way of predicting and explainingplanetarymotions in theSolar System.Darwin'snatural selectionis his proposed mechanism as to howevolutiontook place.

In that way, a mechanism inscienceortechnologyis anexplanationof how something works or might work.