SIMPLE MACHINES IN EVERYDAY LIFE Take a look around your house, neighborhood or school. Simple machines are everywhere! Can you spot them? In the chart below, document a few places where you have found each simple machine and what it is used for.

Machine Where found What it does

Lever

Wheel and Axle

Inclined Plane

Wedge

Pulley

Screw

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Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities toall qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. WHAT IS A SIMPLE MACHINE? A simple machine is a tool that has very few parts and is used to make work easier. What is work? Work is the amount of force or effort it takes to move an object from one place to another. There are 6 types of simple machines: Lever: A lever is a moveable beam placed over a fixed point or fulcrum. The load is placed on one end and the force (or work) is placed on the other. A lever is used to raise a load a short distance. Picture source: https://www.softschools.com/examples/simple_machines/levers_examples/510/

Wheel and Axle: A wheel alone and an axle alone are not considered simple machines. They must be combined. When the axle spins, the output of force in the wheel is greater, making moving the object easier. Picture source: https://eschooltoday.com/science/simple-machines/what-is-a-wheel-and-axle.html

Inclined Plane: An inclined plane is also called a ramp. The longer the ramp, the easier it will be to push the load up. If a ramp is short, it will take less time but more effort to move the load up. Picture source: https://museumachines.weebly.com/incline-plane-ramps/incline-plane

Wedge: A wedge is used to separate objects by using two inclined planes. It is a triangle that narrows into a sharp point, and can be used as it is, or attached to a handle. When force is put on the wide end of the wedge, the force is pushed out on both sides, making splitting objects much easier. Picture source: https://www.clipartkey.com/view/Jbobxh_6-simple-machines-wedge/

Pulley: A pulley is a grooved wheel with a rope, chain or belt in it. A load is attached to one end of the rope, and force (pulling) is placed on the opposite side to bring the load up high. When you add more than one pulley, the work gets even easier. Picture source: http://www.justscience.in/articles/the-six-types-of-simple-machines/2017/05/30

Screw: A screw is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder. A screw holds or pulls things together and makes them difficult to separate. Picture source: https://eschooltoday.com/science/simple-machines/what-is-a-screw.html

Turn to the other side to discover simple machines that are used in your every day life!