Studs are the little bumps on the top of most LEGO® parts. When you press two LEGO® pieces together, the studs are the primary contact points, and the friction between the studs and other part causes the pieces to “stick” together.

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Bricks are the basic building elements of the LEGO® system. Bricks are measured by the number of studs they have in width and length. For example, this one is called a 2x3 brick since it is 2 studs wide and 3 studs long.

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An axle is a small rod that is used with a wheel or a gear to turn the wheel or the gear. An axle looks like a plus sign (+) from the end. Most axles are black or gray in color. Axles are also measured in stud length. To determine the length of an axle, use a plate or a brick to measure it.

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A plate is a LEGO® element that looks like a short brick. In fact, a plate is exactly one-third the height of a brick. Plates are also classified by their studs. This one is a 3x3 plate

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Gears are used to transfer movement from one part of a LEGO® model to another part of the model. Gears come in many sizes and are described by the number of “teeth” they have. In your robotics kit, the smallest gear is an 8-tooth and the largest is a 40-tooth gear. This gear is a 24-tooth gear.

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A TECHNIC beam is the basic building element in the NXT robotics kit. A TECHNIC beam has no studs and an odd number (1, 3, 5, 7, etc.) of holes in the side. TECHNIC beams come in various lengths and are measured by the number of holes they have. This TECHNIC beam is a 7

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The TECHNIC brick looks just like a standard LEGO® brick except it has an odd number of holes in the side of it. All TECHNIC bricks are only one stud wide. TECHNIC bricks are measured by the number of studs they have. This one is a 4-stud TECHNIC brick.

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This type of TECHNIC connector peg is black and has small ribs on it that make it more difficult for the peg to turn inside the hole of a beam due to friction. Connector pegs (also called pins) are used to connect TECHNIC beams and bricks. In the NXT set, most of the structure is held together with these elements.

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This type of TECHNIC connector peg is gray, and is smooth so the peg can turn freely inside the hole of a beam to create a movable connection.

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The angled beam is primarily different from the straight beam in that one or more sections of the beam are angled.

This 7M angled beam is an example of an angled beam

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