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Contents
Introduc on ............................................................................................................................................ 3
The Inclined Plane .................................................................................................................................. 4
The Lever ................................................................................................................................................ 4
The Wheel and Axle ............................................................................................................................... 7
The Pulley ............................................................................................................................................... 8
The Wedge .............................................................................................................................................. 9
The Screw................................................................................................................................................ 9
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................ 11
Introduc on

Simple machines are basic devices that help accomplish physical tasks with few or no
moving parts. They are fundamental tools that have played a crucial role in shaping human
civilization. Used for thousands of years, it is said that the simple machines were codified by
the Greeks or the Romas during the Renaissance period some 2000 years ago.
A simple machine is used to make work easier. Since work is defined as force acting on an
object in the direction of motion, a machine makes work easier to perform by accomplishing
one or more of the following functions:

 Transferring a force from one place to another,

 Changing the direction of a force,
 Increasing the magnitude of a force, or
 Increasing the distance or speed of a force.
Hence, a simple machine is defined as a mechanical device that makes work easier by
magnifying or changing the direction of force. They are often used as building blocks to
produce more complicated machines. For example, you can find 3 simple machines within a
bicycle: levers, pulleys and the wheel and axle.

A total of 6 simple machines have been recognized: the wheel and axle, the lever, the
inclined plane, the pulley, the screw and the wedge, although the latter three are just
extensions or combinations of the first three.
To achieve the needed multiplication of force, simple machines apply force over a much
longer distance or period of time. Inclined planes, screws, and levers increase the distance
over which a reduced force acts, allowing us to push or pull with smaller effort.
The inclined plane was probably the first, used in prehistoric times to slide heavy weights.
Next came the wedge, which – by creating a sideways force when pushed into something –
enabled the user to split materials such as rocks and wood. The earliest examples of such
tools, found in India and Mesopotamia, date to around 7000 BC. The first documentation of
the wheel and axle comes from the Sumerian city-state of Ur, from around 3500 BC. Its
earliest use was probably in raising water from wells, but it also led to the development of
horse-drawn chariots.
The pulley, by necessity, followed the wheel – being a wheel with a rope wrapped around it –
and it was used to raise and lower objects. It is likely that pulleys were used in the building of
the Great Pyramid of Giza in c. 2560 BC. Levers are also believed to have been used in
ancient Egypt, but it was Archimedes who first described the principle of using one. The
screw – which allows a rotary motion to be converted into a forward or backward one –
appeared in ancient Greece. Sometimes credited to Archytas (c. 428–c. 350 BC), it was
used in wine and olive presses.

The Inclined Plane

An inclined plane is one of the simplest simple machines. It is a sloped object that trades
height for distance to create mechanical advantage. Rather than having to lift a load straight
up, with an inclined plane, the load can be pushed along a long-inclined slope to scale the
height.

Objects increase force when they are rolled down an inclined plane. This rate can be changed
based on the angle of the inclined plane. Moving an object up an inclined plane takes less force
than lifting the same object straight up.

For example, in a multi-storey car park,

the vehicles have to descend to street
level from a great height. A long ramp –
an inclined plane – would provide such
a facility but it would take up a lot of
room. Winding the ramp round and
round, like the exit from this car park,
saves space. The geometry of the ramp
is like a screw thread.

The Lever
The first writing on levers was provided by Archimedes. He was the first to state the
mathematical principles of the lever. A lever is a long, straight rod that is balanced on a
fulcrum, or pivot, that does not move. A downward force exerted on one end of the lever can
be transferred and increased in an upward direction at the other end, allowing a small force
to lift a heavy weight. The fulcrum can be placed at various points along the lever to produce
different effects. The levers are thus classified into 3 classes depending on the relationship
between the fulcrum (the fixed or pivot point), the resistance (load or weight) and the effort.

Typical lever:

Shadoof from central Anatolia, Turkey

(a traditional application of the lever)

Orders (or Classes) of levers:

 First Order: The first order of levers has the fulcrum (pivot) in between the resistance
at one end at the effort at the other.
 Second Order: The second order of levers has the fulcrum at one end and the effort
at the other, with the resistance in the middle.
 Third Order: The third order of levers has the least mechanical advantage of all, and
in fact a greater effort is needed than the amount of resistance moved. Here the
fulcrum is at one end and the resistance at the other, with the effort in between.
The Wheel and Axle
The wheel is considered to be one of the most significant inventions in the history of the
world. Wheeled carts facilitated agriculture and commerce by enabling the transportation of
goods to and from markets, as well as easing the burdens of people traveling great
distances.
A wheel is a disk-like mechanical device mediating between rotary and linear motion, widely
used to transmit power, store energy (see flywheel), and to facilitate the movement of heavy
objects.
Wheels may be solid or spoked, flanged or unflanged, with or without tires. Most usefully,
they are attached to an axle through the centre. Indeed, the wheel and axle is one of the
classic simple machines, exemplified in the capstan, winch, and transmission gears. The
force ratio, or mechanical advantage of a wheel and axle is the ratio of the radius of the
wheel to that of the axle.
Composed of a circular wheel directly connected to a circular shaft or axle, this device
rotates around the common axis and has the ability to increase a rotational force instead of a
linear force. It is a form of lever. The difference is that the effort arm can rotate in a complete
circle around the fulcrum, which is the centre of the axle.

The windlass is a well-known

application of the wheel and axle.

There are two different kinds of

wheel and axle systems: where the
wheel turns the axle, and where the
axle turns the wheel. Most of the
times when this simple machine is
used, such as in our cars, the axle is
turning the wheel. However, one
example of the other type would be a
hydroelectric plant, where water
turns a wheel, which turns an axle to
generate power.
The Pulley
A pulley is a wheel with a groove that holds
a rope or cable. It can be fixed or movable
and is used to lift or move loads. Multiple
pulleys can be combined to create complex
systems that increase mechanical
advantage.
Pulleys can take very little force input and
multiply that force many times to have a
force output far greater than the input. They
can also change the direction of which the
input force must be applied. Each pulley
has to have, very minimum, 2 parts: the
string/cable, and at least one pulley.

There are two types of pulley systems: fixed

and movable.
A fixed pulley has only one purpose: to
change the direction of the effort force. It
cannot multiply the effort force at all; the
input is the same as the output, with the
exception of friction.
A movable pulley is multiple pulleys strung
together with one string. This not only can
change the direction of where the effort force
is applied, but it also multiplies the force and
gives mechanical advantage.

One or more independently rotating

pulleys can be used to gain mechanical
advantage, especially for lifting weights.
The shafts about which the pulleys turn
may affix them to frames or blocks, and a
combination of pulleys, blocks, and rope or
other flexible material is referred to as a
block and tackle.
The Wedge
A wedge is a double-inclined plane that can split objects apart. It has a thick end and a thin
end, with the force applied to the thick end causing the wedge to move through a material,
separating it into two parts.
Wedges have been integral to human survival and development. In prehistoric times, early
humans used stone wedges for cutting and shaping wood, bone, and other materials. The
advent of metalworking later led to the creation of more sophisticated wedge-shaped tools,
contributing to advancements in agriculture, construction, and industry.
The wedge is extremely similar to the inclined plane; the difference is, the wedge is moving,
while the inclined plane is not. With an inclined plane, the load moves up the slope of the
plane. With the wedge, the wedge moves at a fast pace and plows into the resistance,
"wedging" it apart.
A wedge does actually have mechanical advantage; it takes the force it is moving and
multiplies and transfers it to sideways force for splitting the resistance. A longer, thinner
wedge gives more mechanical advantage than a shorter, wider wedge, but a wedge does
something else: The main function of a wedge is to change the direction of the input force.
For example, if we want to split a log, we can drive a wedge downward into the end of the
log with great force using a sledgehammer, and the wedge will redirect this force outward,
causing the wood to split. Another example is a doorstop, where the force used to push it
under the edge of the door is transferred downward, resulting in frictional force that resists
sliding across the floor.

The Screw
A screw is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder or cone. It
converts rotational motion into linear motion and is commonly used
for fastening objects together. The primary purpose of a screw is to
change rotary motion (turning) into linear motion (downward force).
Although there is an extremely high amount of friction with a screw,
it has a high mechanical advantage.
A screw is a somewhat complicated simple machine; it consists of
an inclined plane revolving around a center post. When twisted
clockwise (most of the time), the inclined plane revolving around the screw digs into the
substance it is being screwed into, and pushes it upward, pulling the screw down. Therefore,
the more the screw is turned, the more upward force the revolving inclined plane will put out
on the substance it is being screwed in to, and the screw will continue to move downward
into the substance.

A screw can be pictured as an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder. The mechanical
advantage of an inclined plane - it is easier to push a load up a ramp than to lift it vertically
- can be realized by rotating the screw, often to exert considerable force. The distance
between the threads is called the pitch of the screw and is the distance the screw
advances every time it makes one revolution.

The distance between the threads is called the pitch of the screw and is the distance the
screw advances every time it makes one revolution.

A historical example: The Archimedes Screw

Conclusion
Simple machines have been indispensable tools throughout human history, shaping the way
societies function and evolve. Understanding the mechanics, examples, and historical
significance of inclined planes, wedges, levers, wheels and axles, pulleys, and screws
provides insight into the ingenuity and resourcefulness of past civilizations. These
fundamental principles continue to play a crucial role in modern engineering and technology,
emphasizing the enduring importance of simple machines in our daily lives.