By Kaitlin Arnold and
Madison Grubbs
February 2012
A lever is a long piece of material such as a
metal bar or a wooden bar. People have been
using levers for thousands of years. When you
push or pull, the lever also makes a push or pull.
 We use levers to lift heavy things like a person.
A pliers is a gripping tool. We use levers to grip
tightly. We use levers to turn things. A wrench
turns nuts and bolts
 Complicated machines often use levers to work.
We use levers to cut things. A paper cutter
machine is simple machine with levers. Its
handle and blade are a lever.
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A simple machine is something that helps you do a
job. Pulleys often work together. Rope can go around
two pulleys.
A simple pulley makes lifting easier because a
person’s weight can help pull down on the rope. A
block and tackle makes lifting much easier. Lifeboats
on ships are lifted and lowered by pulleys.
Pulleys are useful for moving things that are out of
reach. In large buildings, pulleys help open windows
and curtains. The pulley wheel has a groove around
the outside.
Some exercise equipment in gyms have a lot of
pulleys. The pulley wheels in a washing machine let
the motor turn the drum.
In medieval times, builders used pulleys to lift
materials.
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A screw is a simple machine. It is a rod with a spinning
spiral around the outside. A spiral is called a screw
thread. A screw only works if the thread is pushing against
something like metal.
People have been using screws for thousands of years. We
use screws to help lift heavy things. A screw jack is a
simple machine that lifts and supports heavy things.
Turning the screw jack makes the screw rise out of the
base.
We use the screws to grip things tightly. We use a c-clamp
for holding objects together while we glue them together.
A small bar turns the screw. We use screws to connect
things. Screws and bolts help keep things together. We use
screws to squeeze things. A cider press squeezes the juice
from the apples making juice.
Complicated machines often use screws to work. We use
screws to move materials from place to place. A drill bit
from drilling wood and brick has a screw thread.
A
wheel is a simple machine. Axles help
wheels work. A simple machine is something
that helps you do a job. The wheel is one of
the most important inventions in history. It
was invented about 6,000 years ago.
 When you twist a doorknob the doorknob
turns the rod with a larger force. Wheels
help reduce friction as they roll along the
ground instead of sliding.
 Wheels help us move heavy loads on trucks
and trains. Cranes use pulley wheels to help
lift heavy loads.
 It
can be shaped like a triangle.
 A wedge changes the direction of a push.
 We use wedges to push into something so
that it cuts it or pushes it apart.
 Examples of wedges are: a knife, a chisel,
the sharp point of a nail, and a needle.
 Wedges can be used to grip things to keep
them from moving like a door stop or in a
joint that connects pieces of wood.
 The wedge was one of the first tools people
used. Indians made arrowheads from stones.
 Ramps
are an example of an inclined plane.
 They make it easier to move things higher,
like a loading ramp or a wheelchair ramp.
 Ramps also make it easier to move up hills. A
zigzag path up a mountain, or a staircase are
examples of ramps.
 Machines use conveyor lifts or belts to move
objects easier.
 Long ago builders used ramps before cranes
were invented to move stone like when
building the pyramids.