Thought this was interesting...

[BigJon]

:D

How to pick a lock (http://www.howstuffworks.com/lock-picking3.htm)

[Markel]

Back before I went to college, Popular Science had an article that showed similar things. I learned some simple skills, and could often get people's desks unlocked when they lost their keys. But I never could open any better locks.

One of my math profs was a Cal Tech grad (second in his class :eek: ). He said that lock picking was a highly regarded skill there, but possession of a master key was grounds for on-the-spot explusion.

[johnnymk]

What keeps each individual pin from falling down once you have pushed it up to the proper height?

[Markel]

The slight turning pressure on the cylinder causes the edge of the pin to catch on the edge of the cylinder at the proper height for that particular pin.

[johnnymk]

OK, thanks!

[molecularfire]

Yeah, but it's getting much harder to riffle pick locks now that mushroom pins are getting common. :(

[MJordanash]

Very interesting site.