In the matter of connections between rigid bodies, Reuleaux recognized two kinds; he called them higher and lower pairs (of elements). With higher pairs, the two elements are in contact at a point or along a line, as in a ball bearing or disk cam and follower; the relative motions of coincident points are dissimilar. Lower pairs are those for which area contact may be visualized, as in pin connections, crossheads, ball-and socket joints and some others; the relative motion of coincident points of the elements, and hence of their links, are similar, and an exchange of elements from one link to the other does not alter the relative motion of the parts as it would with higher pairs.