Grades: 2-6
Search a robot’s house to find simple machines or his tool shed for compound machines!
Compound Machine
Two or more simple machines working together to make work easier.
Examples:Wheelbarrow, Can Opener, Bicycle
Gears
Two toothed wheels fit together either directly
or through a chain or belt so one wheel will turn the other.
Some gears may have a screw or a toothed shaft in place
of one of the wheels. A gear may also be a combination
of toothed wheels that produces a certain speed
(such as a bicycle's top gear which makes the bike go fast,
and the low gear for slow speed.)
Examples:Clock, Automobile, Drill
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.
Examples:Staircase, Ramp, Bottom of a Bath Tub
Lever
A straight rod or board that pivots on a point known
as a fulcrum. The fulcrum can be moved depending on the weight of
the object to be lifted or the force you wish to exert. Pushing
down on one end of a lever results in the upward motion of the opposite
end of the fulcrum.
Examples:Door on Hinges, Seesaw, Hammer, Bottle Opener
Pulley
A wheel that usually has a groove around the outside edge.
This groove is for a rope or belt to move around the pulley.
Pulling down on the rope can lift an object attached to the rope.
Work is made easier because pulling down on the rope is made easier
due to gravity.
Examples:Flag Pole, Crane, Mini-Blinds
Screw
An inclined plane wrapped around a shaft or cylinder.
This inclined plane allows the screw to move itself or to move an object or
material surrounding it when rotated.
Examples:Bolt, Spiral Staircase
Simple Machine
A machine with few or no moving parts. Simple machines make work easier.
Examples:Screw, Wheel and Axle, Wedge, Pulley, Inclined Plane, Lever
Wedge
Two inclined planes joined back to back. Wedges are used to split things.
Examples:Axe, Zipper, Knife
Wheel and Axle
A wheel and axle has a larger wheel (or wheels) connected by a smaller cylinder
(axle) and is fastened to the wheel so that they turn together. When the axle is turned,
the wheel moves a greater distance than the axle, but less force is needed to move it.
The axle moves a shorter distance, but it takes greater force to move it.
Examples:Door Knob, Wagon, Toy Car
Logo will go here
Funding by Martha Holden
Jennings Foundation
Project Production and Development
Project Director: Gail Wheatley
Creative Director: Eric Bort
Conceptual room designs: Steve Galgas
Science Editing: Steve Whitt
Text Editing: Heather Evans
