A simple machine is a basic mechanical device that helps you perform work. All six types of simple machines can most likely be found around your house. Explore simple machine examples to see which types of machines you use every day.
What is a Simple Machine?
A simple machine is a mechanical device that changes the direction or magnitude of a force. In general, they can be defined as the simplest mechanisms that use mechanical advantage (also called leverage) to multiply force.
A simple machine is a device used for performing work by applying force (effort) at a convenient point in a convenient direction to overcome the friction (load) at some other point. Simple machines help to reduce human effort.
Usually, the term refers to the six classical examples of simple machines that were defined by Renaissance scientists:
- Lever
- Wheel and axle
- Pulley
- Inclined plane
- Wedge
- Screw
A simple machine uses a single applied force to do work against a single load force. Ignoring friction losses, the work done on the load is equal to the work done by the applied force.
The machine can increase the amount of the output force, at the cost of a proportional decrease in the distance moved by the load. The ratio of the output to the applied force is called the mechanical advantage.
The simple machines and their examples are as follows:
- The lever: Examples are a crowbar, claw hammer, a pair of pliers, etc…
- The inclined plane: Examples are ramps, staircases, hilly roads, etc.
- The wedge: Examples are knife, axe, plough, knife, etc
- Screw: Examples are A screw bolt
- The wheel and axle: Examples are the steering wheel of a car, bicycle pedal, etc.
- The pulley: Examples are a pulley used in raising a load.
Types of Simple Machines
Many, many objects from everyday life, which we use to travel, to play or in the world of work, are based on one or more of these six well-known machines.
1. Inclined Plane Simple Machine Examples
An inclined plane is a simple machine that is used to raise heavy bodies using a sloping plane; it lifts the objects in two different ways. One is lifting in a straight direction, and the other is bringing the object to the top by moving it diagonally.
Examples of Inclined Plane:
- Ramp
- Slides
- Road Slopes
- Driveway
- Staircase
- Loading Ramps
- Ski Slopes
- Water Slides
- Conveyor Belts
- Handicap Accessibility Ramps
2. Pulley Simple Machine Examples
A pulley is a wheel that carries a flexible rope, cord, cable, chain, or belt on its rim. Pulleys are used singly or in combination to transmit energy and motion. Pulleys with grooved rims are called sheaves. In belt drive, pulleys are affixed to shafts at their axes, and power is transmitted between the shafts by means of endless belts running over the pulleys.
One or more independently rotating pulleys can be used to gain a mechanical advantage, especially for lifting weights. The shafts about which the pulleys turn may affix them to frames or blocks, and a combination of pulleys, blocks, and rope or other flexible material is referred to as a block and tackle.
Examples of Pulley:
- Window blinds
- Flagpoles
- Elevators
- Clotheslines
- Garage door openers
- Block and tackle
- Sailboat rigging
- Gym equipment
- Construction cranes
- Zip lines
- Stage rigging
- Ski lifts
- Well systems.
- Venetian blinds
- Conveyor belts
- Window washing systems.
- Amusement Park rides
- Theatrical flying systems
- Garage storage systems
- Cable cars
3. Screw Simple Machine Examples
A screw is a usually circular cylindrical member with a continuous helical rib, used either as a fastener or as a force and motion modifier. It helps to hold things together and to lift things.
Examples of Screw:
- Screw,
- Bolt,
- Clamp,
- Spinning Stool,
- Spiral Staircase
- Car Jack
- Drill
- End Of A Hose
- End Of A Light Bulb
- Faucet
- Gas Tank Cap
- Jar Lid
- Wine Corkscrew
4. Wheel and Axle Simple Machine Examples
The wheel and axle are another type of simple machine that brought a drastic change in the world of physics. It has two parts, one is real, and the other one is the axle. It moves in a circular or cylindrical shape.
If the wheel rotates, then according to the speed and the direction of the wheel, the axle also moves. This principle is used to move the objects or to lift the objects from one place to another. The size of the object can be defined as the small gear and large gear. Bringing out a bucket from the well is a well-known wheel and axle example.
Examples of Wheel and Axle:
- Car wheels
- Bicycle wheels
- Ferris wheel
- Windmill
- Waterwheel
- Steering wheel
- Screwdriver
- Hand-cranked eggbeater
- Doorknob
- Gear mechanism
- Rotating sprinkler
- Fishing reel
- Rolling pin
- Potter’s wheel
- Manual winch
- Mechanical clock
- Roller skates
- Wind-up toy
- Revolving door colliding.
- Wind vane
5. Wedge Simple Machine Examples
A wedge is an object that tapers to a thin edge. Pushing the wedge in one direction creates a force in a sideways direction. It is usually made of metal or wood and is used for splitting, lifting, or tightening, as in securing a hammerhead onto its handle.
The wedge was used in prehistoric times to split logs and rocks; an ax is also a wedge, as are the teeth on a saw. In terms of its mechanical function, the screw may be thought of as a wedge wrapped around a cylinder.
Examples of Wedges:
- Knife blade
- Axe head
- Chisel
- Nail
- Saw teeth.
- Zipper
- Scissors
- Fork tines
- Ice pick
- Screw
- Hatchet
- Feathered arrowhead
- Doorstop
- Key
- Plow
- Trowel
- Teeth of a comb
- Needle
- Splitting Maul
6. Lever Simple Machine Examples
A lever is a bar or board that rests on a support called a fulcrum. A downward force exerted on one end of the lever can be transferred and increased in an upward direction at the other end, allowing a small force to lift a heavy weight.
All early people used the lever in some form, for example, for moving heavy stones or as digging sticks for land cultivation.
The principle of the lever was used in the swape, or shadoof, a long lever pivoted near one end with a platform or water container hanging from the short arm and counterweights attached to the long arm. A man could lift several times his own weight by pulling down on the long arm.
Examples Of Levers in Everyday Life:
- Car Jack
- Crowbar
- Gardening Shears
- Light Switch
- Pliers
- Scissors
- Seesaw
- Baseball Bat
- Broom
- Chopsticks
- Golf Club
- Hammer End of A Hammer
- Rake
- Tennis Racket
- Your Arm
- Bicycle hand brake
- Bottle opener
- Car door handle
- Crash bar
- Door
- Nail clippers
- Stapler
- Wheelbarrow
Did you know there were so many simple machines making your life