User talk:Hanks.elizabeth

Simple machines are pieces of equipment that when two or more of them are put together they make a complex machine. There are six different simple machines lever, screw, pulley, inclined plane, and wheel & axel the next six pages will explain what each of these things do and how they work.

Pulley A pulley is made from a wheel and a rope. It is used to make lifting easier. A single pulley changes the direction of the lifting force. For example, if you are lifting a heavy object with a single pulley anchored to the ceiling, you can pull down on the rope to lift the object instead of pushing up. The same amount of effort is needed as without a pulley, but it feels easier because you are pulling down. If you add a second pulley, the amount of effort to lift the heavy object is much less -- half as much. However, you will have to pull the rope further. A double pulley can help you to lift objects you could never lift without it.

Lever Levers are simple machines used to lift weights. First let's learn some terms you will need to know. A load is the thing you're lifting. A fulcrum is the thing that makes the load lighter. An effort is the person pushing to make the objects move. There are three different types of levers.

First Class Levers An example of this type is a seesaw. The load is the person that goes up, and the effort applied is the weight of the person that goes down. The fulcrum is in the center in between them.

Second Class Lever and Third Class Lever An example of a Second Class Lever is a can opener. The difference from the first class lever is that the fulcrum is on the end, instead of in the middle. An example the Third Class Lever is a fishing rod. The load is the fish; the handle end is the fulcrum.

Screw A screw is a shaft with a helical groove or thread formed on its surface and provision at one end to turn the screw. Its main uses are as a threaded fastener used to hold objects together, and as a simple machine used to translate torque into linear force. It can also be defined as an inclined plane wrapped around a shaft.