Science Secrets · Drawing 38 of 40
The Zipper’s Tiny Team
Everyday Inventions
The slider brings two rows of teeth together and interlocks them. Moving it the other way separates them. These little pieces can close a whole jacket. Zip!
Did you know?
Closed zipper teeth interlock; they are not glued together.
Look together
Where are the two rows still separated?
An idea to try
With an adult, observe a zipper in good condition. Gently move the slider and describe what changes.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
The slider’s shape guides engagement or separation of the elements. The drawing simplifies a toothed zipper; coil zippers have a different structure.
Sources and illustration notes (1)
Simplified scene and shapes. Models, imagined comparisons and enlargements do not preserve all real measurements.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- YKK: What’s the Structure of a Zipper?A zipper has three parts: the elements (teeth), the slider and the tape; pulling the slider up makes the elements mesh and close the zipper, and pulling it down spreads them apart.
Page prepared on October 12, 2026. Illustrations are simplified for colouring.
This drawing is from the book Science Secrets to Colour
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