Shock Absorbers:

• A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical device designed to smooth out or damp a sudden shock impulse and dissipate kinetic energy.
• A dashpot is a mechanical device, a damper which resists motion via viscous friction. The resulting force is proportional to the velocity, but acts in the opposite direction slowing the motion and absorbing energy.
• In most dashpots energy is converted to heat inside the viscous fluid. In hydraulic cylinders the hydraulic fluid will heat up. In air cylinders, the hot air is usually exhausted to the atmosphere.