Simple Machines and Compound Machines Project By Alex Rae James Drury Anthony Hirsch Ian Briggs

Table of Contents Wheel and axle Pulley Screw Lever Inclined Plane Wedge Compound Machines Bibliography Back to title page

Wheel and Axle A wheel and axle is a simple machine made of two circular or cylindrical objects that are fastened together and that rotate about a common axis The advantage of a wheel and axle is when you apply an input force to turn the wheel, the axle rotates and exerts an output force to turn something, such as a screw To calculate the mechanical advantage of a wheel and axle you use this formula: Ideal Mechanical advantage= Radius of Wheel Radius of axle Back

Pulley A pulley is a grooved wheel with a rope (or a chain, or even a steel cable) wrapped around it The advantage of a pulley is when you pull on the rope of the pulley, you can change the amount and direction of your input force To find the mechanical advantage of a pulley, you need to know what type of pulley it is A fixed pulley has an I.M.A. of 1 A movable pulley has an I.M.A. of 2 A pulley system’s I.M.A. is equal to the number of sections of the rope that support the object Back

The Screw The screw is related to the inclined plane See Picture Back The screw is related to the inclined plane The definition of a screw is a shaft with a helical groove or thread formed on its surface and provision at one end to turn the screw Its main uses are as a threaded fastener used to hold objects together Some examples of screws are bolts, faucets, and jar lids

Levers See Picture Back If you have ever ridden on a seesaw or pried open a can of paint then you are familiar with levers The definition of a lever is a rigid object that is used with an appropriate fulcrum or pivot point to multiply the mechanical force that can be applied to another object To find the mechanical advantage of a lever, you use this formula: I.M.A.= Distance from fulcrum to input force Distance from fulcrum to output force

Lever Back to Lever Page This is a picture of a lever-a seesaw.

Screw Back to Screw Page This is a picture of a screw .

Inclined Plane An inclined plane is a flat, slanted surface An inclined plane allows you to exert your input force over a longer distance, which means your input force needed will be less than your output force You can calculate the I.M.A. of an inclined plane with this formula: Ideal mechanical advantage= Length of incline Height of incline Back Cool Videos

Watch these videos on inclined planes http://www.ngsir.netfirms.com/englishhtm/Incline.htm http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6597803898457949836&q=inclined+plane&total=56&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=5 Back to Inclined Planes Page

Wedge A wedge is a portable inclined plane, used either to separate two objects, or portions of objects, lift an object, or hold an object in place, It is a device that is thick at one end and tapers to a thin edge at the other end Examples would be an ax and a zipper Back

Back Compound Machines A compound machine a machine that utilizes 2 or more simple machines An example of a compound machine is a pencil sharpener, a clock, or any other machine that uses gears To find the I.M.A. of a compound machine, you need to know the I.M.A. of each individual simple machine See Pictures Cool Video

Compound Machines Video http://www.edheads.org/activities/odd_machine/ Please try to answer the questions in the video as best as you can because your score will be displayed at the end Back to Compound Machines Page

Examples of Compound Machines Back to Compound Machines Page

Bibliography Picture on table of contents- Ms. Brooks webpage-http://www.jenkintown.org/teachers/tlesson.php?lid=93&view=t All other pictures- Google Images- http://images.google.com/imghp?tab=wi Inclined Plane Video #1- http://www.ngsir.netfirms.com/englishhtm/Incline.htm Inclined Plane Video #2- Google Videos- http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6597803898457949836&q=inclined+plane&total=56&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=5 Compound Machines Video- http://www.edheads.org/activities/odd_machine/ Facts- Science textbook and google searches Back