Perspective: Man, This Thing Sucks

If you need some small-talk fodder for your next cocktail party, try this: Ever wonder how a vacuum cleaner works? An electric motor drives a wheel of angled fan blades that push a current of air out the exhaust port. The drop in atmospheric pressure behind the airstream creates suction, which pulls everything in front of the vacuum cleaner’s intake port into the machine. On its way through, the air passes through a filter, which traps the dirt in the dust bag—which you dump into the trash.