Meet the Machines
A playground seesaw is a classic example of this type of simple machine
What is a lever?
Clue: An axe blade and a standard kitchen knife belong to this family of simple machines.
Answer: What is a wedge?
This is the fixed, stationary pivot point that a rigid lever bar rotates around.
What is a fulcrum?
You use this grooved-wheel machine every morning at school to hoist the American flag.
What is a pulley?
Simple machines cannot change the total amount of work done; they simply make work feel easier by increasing this variable.
What is distance?
This simple machine consists of a slanted, flat surface used to lift heavy loads to a higher level.
What is an inclined plane?
Clue: While an inclined plane remains stationary, a wedge does its job by doing this.
Answer: What is moving?
In physics, this term refers to the object or weight that the lever is trying to lift or move.
What is the load?
Jar lids and the base of a lightbulb use this machine to securely twist into place.
What is a screw?
In classical mechanics, this calculation is solved by multiplying the applied force by the distance an object travels (W = F times distance)
What is work?
This mechanism features a rope wrapped around a grooved wheel to change the direction of a pulling force.
What is a pulley?
Geometrically, a wedge is usually formed by placing two of these simple machines back-to-back.
What are inclined planes?
This class of lever places the fulcrum squarely in the middle, between the effort force and the load.
What is a first-class lever?
This common dental tool uses a miniature wedge to scrape plaque away from teeth.
What is a dental scaler (or pick)?
This metric represents the ratio of output force to input force, measuring how much a machine multiplies your effort.
What is mechanical advantage?
A doorknob, a steering wheel, and a pencil sharpener crank are all everyday examples of this simple machine.
What is a wheel and axle?
Clue: Instead of lifting objects, a wedge changes the direction of a forward force to force materials in this direction.
What is apart (or sideways)?
Because the load sits between the pivot and the handle, this wheeled garden tool is a second-class lever.
What is a wheelbarrow?
Found at the base of your sink faucet, this round handle relies on this mechanism to open the water valve.
What is a wheel and axle?
This specific type of pulley system is bolted directly to a ceiling; it changes the force's direction but offers a mechanical advantage of exactly 1.
What is a fixed pulley?
Clue: This simple machine is structurally defined as an inclined plane wrapped around a central cylinder.
Answer: What is a screw?
This tiny, everyday sewing tool uses a wedge shape to pierce through fabric.
What is a needle?
Tweezers, baseball bats, and human elbows fall into this lever class because the effort force is applied in the middle.
What is a third-class lever?
A standard pair of scissors functions as a compound machine because it combines levers with this other machine.
What is a wedge?
This unwanted force acts between moving machine parts, generating heat and reducing a machine's total efficiency.
What is friction?