Simple Machines Study Guide
There are six simple machines
• Wedge
• Inclined Plane
• Wheel and Axle
• Pulley
• Screw
Simple machines make work easier
They make it easier to:
• lift or move a heavy object
• Push things apart
• cut or split objects
• hold an object together
Six simples machines
Lever
Examples
a simple machine used to push, pull or lift
things
Screw
a simple machine used to hold objects
together
Wheel and Axle
a simple machine that make it easier to
move or turn things
Inclined Plane
a simple machine used to move heavy
objects up or down
ramp
wheelchair ramp
Pulley
a simple machine used lift heavy objects
by changing the direction or amount of
force
Wedge
a simple machine used to cut or split
objects
flagpole
Vocabulary
• Simple machine – a tool used to make work easier (uses less force to do work)
• Compound machine – a combination of two or more simple machines
o Examples: scissors, wheelbarrow, bike, shovel
• Motion – a change of position
• Force – push or pull / stopping or changing directions of an object in motion
• Work – when a force is applied and moves an object