Question: Who invented the first simple machines? https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=ByLXZCP4ixc
Answer: The Greek scientist and mathematician, Archimedes didn’t invent simple
machines, but he did develop and improve them. Early man invented the first machines
over 2 million years ago. These were rock axes. People made windmills and water movers
around the time of the birth of Christ. Even monkeys and some other animals use simple
machines like sticks and rocks to get food.

What is a machine?
A machine is any device that does work. Machines make our lives easier because they reduce the
amount of energy, power, and time we need to get one thing done by magnifying our input force.

A machine can increase the magnitude or the distance of a force but not both
at the same time.

Machines come in many sizes, shapes and forms. Some machines are very simple in its makeup
and use whilst others are very complex. For example, a spade is a machine (a simple machine),
and a space shuttle is a machine too (a complex machine).

For this lesson, we shall be looking at simple machines.

Consider the illustration below:

To bring the load (wagon with a mound of dirt in it) to the lower surface, a person has to carry that
carefully. That is a lot of muscle work. To make that easier, we can just put a ramp there, and just
give the wagon a little push — right? Yes, and then the load will just slide down on its own.

In the example above, we have used a very simple trick of a simple machine to bring down that
load of dirt — easily!

Here is another scenario: A bulldozer at work! Take note of the simple machine units (levers, wheel
and axle, wedge) that are combined to build a complex machine.

To push a mound of dirt on a piece of land, it can take a person with a shovel a lot of time and
energy to do so. However one person with a complex machine can do that work in no time. Here,
the complex machine, which is a complex combination of simple machine units, uses mechanical
energy and electrical energy to do that job. It is not the same as a simple machine. This bulldozer
is an example of a compound or complex machine.
Types of machines
Machines come as two major kinds — Simple Machines and Complex Machines.

Simple Machines
A simple machine is a tool, device or object with few moving parts that help us do work. Simple
machines have been in use for a very long time. Early humans used simple machines to push, pull,
lift, divide and crush things. They used simple machines to row rafts over water, build houses, split
firewood, and carry heavy things from place to place. Today, there are simple machines in every
place and all around us.

There are six types of simple machines — the inclined plane, the wedge, the screw, the lever, the
wheel and axle, and the pulley. These six have very specific features and do unique jobs, even
though some may work in similar ways. In fact, some simple machines may be a combination of
simple machines.

Important:
Simple machines, unlike complex ones, do not work on their own. They only increase the pull or
push, (force or effort) that a person uses, increase or decrease the distance, or change the
direction of a movement so that more work can be done. They can:
transfer a force from one place to another
change the direction of a force
increase the magnitude of a force
increase the distance or speed of a force

Features of a simple machine

They do not use electricity
They have one or fewer moving parts
They give us mechanical advantage
Even though they make work easier for us, they still need input (force or effort) from a person.
They make tough jobs easier by changing the force, direction or speed of a movement

Complex Machines
Simple machines are different from complex (or compound machines). Complex machines, like
trucks or wagons, or bicycles use many moving parts. They combine many simple machines such as
levers, pulleys, and gears to get work done.

The Inclined Plane

An inclined plane is a simple machine with no moving parts. It is simply an even sloping
surface. It makes it easier for us to move objects to higher or lower surfaces, than if we lifted the
objects directly upwards. It is believed that ancient Egyptians used inclined planes to carry heavy
stones to build pyramids.

‘Inclined’ means a raised end or raised at one end. An inclined plane may be a constructed frame,
or just a piece of log leaning against a higher point. An inclined plane is also called a ramp.

In the illustration below, the man uses a piece of metal as a ramp to move the hand-truck into the
van.

An inclined plane has a horizontal side (A), (the distance from the the lower end of the slope to the
base of the vertical). It also has a vertical side (B), (from the base up to the top of the sloped
surface). The sloped surface is where the man is pushing his hand truck.

Tradeoff
There is a tradeoff with this simple machine. If the slope is gentle, a person has to push or pull the
object over a longer distance, but with very little effort. If the slope is steep, a person has to push
or pull the object over a very short distance, but with more effort.

Trade off helps us to understand the mechanical advantage of inclined planes. For example; there is
a greater mechanical advantage if the slope is gentle because less force will be needed to
move an object up or down the slope.

Some good examples of inclined planes are accessibility ramps and roofs of houses.

The Wedge (ramp)

A wedge is simply a triangular tool, often made of metal, wood, stone or plastic. It is thick on one
end and tapers to a thin or sharp edge on the other end. Technically it is an inclined plane (or two
inclined planes put together to form a triangle) that moves. A wedge may be attached to a handle
to make it easier to use. Good examples of wedges are nails, knives, axes and your teeth!

A wedge can be used in many ways:

To cut (knife)
To split (axe)
To tighten and to hold back (doorstopper)
To hold together (nail)
To scrape (blades on the snowplough or farm grader)

Wedges work by changing direction and force applied to it. Here is an illustration:Diagram of
change in direction and force.

From the above, you will notice that the force applied to the thick end of the wedge overcomes the
resistance of the wood. The force is directed downwards, but the wedge directs the force sideways
as it drives into the wood.

A wedge may be a single wedge or double wedge. Each does a slightly

different job. An axe is a double wedge (see diagram above) and a
chisel is a single wedge.

Trade-off
The longer and thinner a wedge is (sharper), the more work it does
with little effort. If the wedge is shorter and has a wider angle at the
tip, one needs more force to do the work.

The mechanical advantage of a wedge is higher when the wedge

is longer with a thinner tip.

Wedges have been in use for millions of years. Earlier humans used wedges made of hard rocks
and stones to hunt (like spears), cut and trim trees and carve stones. The concept of wedges is also
used in jets and modern cars. You will notice that jets, fast cars, speed boats and trains have
pointed noses. This helps them cut through the air (air acts as a resistance). This feature of pointed
noses cutting through air is known as aerodynamics.

The Screw
A screw is simply an inclined plane around a cylinder. To describe this better you can view it as a
cylinder with a head (solid top) at one end and a pointed tip (like a nail) at the other end. More
importantly, it has ridges winding around it. The correct term for the ridges (or grooves) around the
shaft or cylinder is the thread.

The distance between threads are the same for each screw but are different on other screws. The
distance between the threads is called Pitch.

Screws are very useful for holding things together. They can pull or push an object together. They
can be used to lift very heavy objects and tighten things too.

Nail and Screw

These two are not the same. Unlike the nail, a screw has ridges around the shaft. It is harder to
drive a screw into a piece of wood because the ridges on the screw create a lot of friction and
resistance. To drive a screw into the wood, it has to turn in a circular motion by a screw-driver.

Other kinds of screws

Bolt: A bolt is a kind of screw, but does not have a pointed tip. It is not drilled into place, but
rather, a hole is made for the bolt to go through. Then a nut is placed at the end to screw the bolt
through. Bolts are very powerful in holding things together.

Drill Bit: This is a type of screw that can make holes in wood, plastic, metal and stones when
attached to an electric drill. Like the regular drill, it is pointed at one end, and it has threads too.
The drill bit has deeper grooves that carry pieces of the wood from the hole to the surface as the
drill bit turns.

Examples of screws
Some good examples of screws are bolts, screws, bottle tops, guitar tuners, light bulbs, faucet taps
and cork openers. Can you think of a screw device in your home?

Mechanical Advantage
Mechanical advantage depends on the space between the threads and the length (and thickness) of
the screw. The closer the threads are, the greater the mechanical advantage. It is easier to drive a
screw into an object if the thread spacing is smaller. This takes less effort but more turns. If the
spaces between the threads are wider, it is harder to drill a screw into an object. It takes more
effort but fewer turns.

The Lever
A lever is simply a plank or ridged beam that is free to rotate on a pivot. It is perfect for lifting or
moving heavy things. It is a very useful simple machine, and you can find them everywhere. Good
examples of levers include the seesaw, crowbar, fishing-line, oars, wheelbarrows and the garden
shovel.

Parts of a lever
Levers have four very important parts — the bar or beam, the fulcrum (the pivot or the turning
point), effort (or force) and the load.

The beam is simply a long plank. It may be wood, metal or any durable material. The beam rests
on a fulcrum (a point on the bar creating a pivot).

When you push down one end of a lever, you apply a force (input) to it. The lever pivots on the
fulcrum, and produces an output (lift a load) by exerting an output force on the load. A lever makes
work easier by both increasing your input force and changing the direction of your input force.

The Three Lever Classes

The parts of the lever are not always in the same arrangement. The load, fulcrum, and effort may
be at different places on the plank.

Class One Lever

In this class, the Fulcrum is between the Effort and the Load. The
mechanical advantage is more if the Load is closer to the fulcrum.
Examples of Class One Levers include seesaws, boat oars and crowbar.

Class Two Lever

In this class, the Load is between the Effort and the Fulcrum. The
mechanical advantage is more if the load is closer to the fulcrum.
Examples of Class Two Levers include wheelbarrows. TRY THIS SIMPLE
EXPERIMENT

Class Three Lever

In this class, the Effort is between the Load and the Fulcrum. The
mechanical advantage is more if the effort is closer to the load. An
example of Class Three Lever is a garden shovel.

The Wheel and Axle

This simple machine involves two circular objects — a larger disc and a smaller cylinder, both joined
at the centre. The larger disc is called the wheel, and the smaller cylindrical object or rod is referred
to as the axle. Sometimes, there may be two wheels attached to both ends of the axle. A wheel
alone or an axle alone is not a simple machine. They need to be joined to be called a simple
machine.

If you look closely at how a wheel and axle works, you will notice that it is a kind of class one lever.
Here, an action on the axle (turning the axle) will cause an output at the other end (wheel turns
too). The fulcrum is where the axle meets the wheel.

The Wheel and axle work in two basic ways.

Force applied to wheel:

Let us take a screwdriver for instance. If you apply a force to the wheel (the handle), the wheel
spins and multiplies the effort to make the output force of the axle (shaft) greater.

A simple door knob is another great example of the wheel

and axle. The locking mechanism of the door knob is inside
of the door and can only be controlled by the knob. Since it
will be difficult turning the axle to open the door, we can turn
the wheel instead and that does that job for us.

Force applied to axle:

Now let us also consider a windmill. If you apply a force to the axle, it will multiply the force to the
wheel (blades) and result in a greater distance covered. It is because the wheel is larger than the
axle and covers more area. A ceiling fan works in a similar way. As the axle turns, it powers the
larger wheel (fan blades) to cause the desired output.

The Wheel and axle are perfect for turning turbines and fans; They are also used in automobiles.
For example, when you turn the steering wheel of a car, your effort is multiplied by the axle and
results in more turns of the car wheels.

Gears
A gear is simply a special wheel with teeth called threads on the outside. Click here to read more on
gears.

The Pulley

Have you seen your school flag being raised before? This is possible with a simple pulley. When you
pull down on the rope, the pulley turns and the flag goes up. Pulleys change the direction of the
force.

A pulley is simply a wheel with a groove in it, and a

rope in the groove. It is also called a drum or
a sheave. The groove is important because it helps to
keep the rope in place. It is used to lift up or lower
heavy objects. With a pulley, an object to be lifted can
be tied to one end of the rope, and a force is applied
to the other end by pulling the rope downwards. The
downward force turns the wheel with the rope and
pulls the load upwards at the other end.

Types of Pulleys
There are three types of pulleys. Each pulley system
depends on how the wheel and rope are put together.

Fixed Pulley
This is the simplest form of pulleys. Simple pulleys
have their axles fixed in place and cannot be moved.
The rope moved in the groove of the pulley but the
wheel is fixed to one spot. The wheel on your school
flag pole is a good example.

Movable Pulley
In a movable pulley, (see diagram on the left) the
load is attached to the pulley and both of them can
move from place to place. In this type, one end of the rope is attached to a fixed point that does
not move. With a movable pulley, you need less effort to lift a load. Can you tell how the movable
pulley is similar to the Class Two Lever? Both of them have the load between the effort and the
fulcrum!

Compound Pulley
This is also called a combined pulley. It is a
combination of pulleys designed to make the
effort less than half of the weight of the load.
This kind is very common at construction sites
where cranes lift very heavy steel and concrete
objects. One good example of a compound pulley
is a Block and Tackle. Click here to see a diagram
of the Block and Tackle

Important terms
Lever
A solid bar that rotates around a pivot and makes it easier to lift a load, move a heavy object or
apply a force.
Force
A push or a pull. The unit of Force is called the Newton. Force (F) = Mass x Acceleration.

Work
The movement of an object resulting from a force applied to it. Movement is usually in the direction
of the force. To calculate Work done, multiply Force (F) by Distance (D). W=FxD

Input Force
The effort or force you put into a machine.

Output Force
The force the machine produces as a result of the input force.

Power
Power is the rate at which Work is done. Power is measured in Watt. Power = Work / Time

Mechanical Advantage (MA)

Simple machines do not work on their own. Someone has to apply input force to make it do work.
MA is the ratio between the input force and the output force. A Mechanical Advantage is produced
when a simple machine amplifies a small input force to produce a greater output force.

Rotation Point
The axis or center that a wheel or disc spins.
A rod balanced b
 A machine is a device that makes work easier. Simple machines help us by providing
a mechanical advantage. This means that they do the same amount of work, but reduce the amount of effort
or force needed to do work.
There are six main types of simple machines: levers, pulleys, inclined planes, wheels and axles, screws and
wedges.

How a lever works video: https://www.facebook.com/EngineeringChest/videos/348834682151916/?t=122