Zippers keep the bugs out, the warmth in, and keep us presentable in public. They work exceptionally well, right up until they don't. It's helpful to know the parts and pieces of a zipper when describing your problem, so here is a breakdown of the mighty zipper...

Components of a zip fastener:

• 1 - top tape end
• 2 - top stop
• 3 - slider
• 4 - puller
• 5 - tape
• 6 - spiral width
• 7 - bottom stop
• 8 - bottom tape end
• 9 - single tape width
• 10 - pin
• 11 - box
• 12 - reinforcement

(Wording from: http://www.industrie.coats.de/zip/zipabc/components/).