Simple Machines-Taking Action
Simple Machines-Taking Action
The simple machines are the inclined plane, lever, wedge, wheel and axle, pulley, and
screw.
Inclined Plane
How they make work easier:
Using an inclined plane makes it easier to move an object. It takes less force to move an object in
an upward direction on an inclined plane than it does to lift the object straight up. The force needed
when using this ramp is less because of the gentle slope, but the load must be moved a greater
distance.
It allows one to use less force to move an object. Examples of inclined planes are ramps, sloping
roads and hills, plows, chisels, hatchets, carpenter's planes, and wedges. Ladder, sidewalk curb
ramp, slanted roof, slide, stairs and wheelchair ramps are examples of inclined planes.
Screw How they make work easier:
The wheel and axle is a simple machine that reduces the friction involved in moving an object,
making the object easier to transport. Once the object is moving, the force of friction opposes the
force exerted on the object. The wheel and axle makes this easier by reducing the friction involved
in moving an object.
Examples of wheel and axle use include electric fans, motors, revolving doors, and merry-go-rounds,
as well as the wheels used on skateboards, roller blades, cars, and many, many more objects. As
with all simple machines like the wheel and axle, they are designed to help make work easier to do.
Lever
How does a hammer make it easier to pull a nail out of a board? First, it
changes the direction of the force applied to the hammer—the hand pushes
down on the handle while the claw end of the hammer head pulls up. Often, you
can push down with more force than you can push up because you can put your
own weight behind it. The hammer also increases the strength of the force that
is applied to it. It easily pulls the nail out of the board, which you couldn’t do with
your hands alone. On the other hand, the hammer decreases the distance over
which the force is applied. The hand pushing down on the handle moves the
handle over a distance of several inches, whereas the hammer pulls up on the
nail only an inch or two.
Wedge
It is the ratio of the output force to the input force. A wedge applies more force to the object
(output force) than the user applies to the wedge (input force), so the mechanical advantage
of a wedge is greater than 1. A longer, thinner wedge has a greater mechanical advantage
than a shorter, wider wedge. With all wedges, the trade-off is that the output force is applied
over a shorter distance, so force may need to be applied to the wedge repeatedly to push it
through the object.A knife is another example of a wedge. In the Figure below, a knife is
being used to chop tough pecans. The job is easy to do with the knife because of the wedge
shape of the blade. The very thin edge of the blade easily enters and cuts through the
pecans.
The pulley is really a wheel and axle with a rope or chain
A pulley really saves effort when you have more than one pulley
working together. By looping a rope around two, three, or even
four pulleys, you can really cut down on the effort needed to lift
something. The trade-off? Well, as you increase the number of
pulleys, you also increase the distance you have to pull the rope.
In other words, if you use two pulleys, it takes half the effort to lift
something, but you have to pull the rope twice as far. Three
pulleys will result in one-third the effort — but the distance you
have to pull the rope is tripled!
Bibliography
1. Simple
2. simple machine | Examples, List, & Facts
3. Lever | CK-12 Foundation
4. Wedge | CK-12 Foundation
5. Dirtmeister: Simple Machines -- Pulley - Scholastic
6. Simple Machines
7. https://www.softschools.com/examples/simple_machines/wheel_and_axle_examples
8. SCREW - SIMPLE MACHINES
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