The Inclined Plane By Morgan Mabry and Brooke Bryan

What is an inclined plane? A sloping surface, such as a ramp. An inclined plane can be used to alter the effort and distance involved in doing work, such as lifting loads. The trade-off is that an object must be moved a longer distance than if it was lifted straight up, but less force is needed.

What does that mean? Force: You are doing work when you use a force to cause motion. Machines make work easier, but they need energy to do work. A person is usually the source of energy for a simple machine. A person uses a force to operate a simple machine. A force is a push or pull. The force applied to the machine is called work input or effort force.

Distance: Any change in the size of the force changes the distance (see force). No machine can increase both force and distance. Energy: The ability to do work or the ability to move an object Work: Work is the transfer of energy. Effort: A force acting on a body in the direction of its motion.

Examples Staircase: Ramp: Bottom of a Bath Tub Screw.