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Lesson

Simple Machines

Recognise six simple machines and explain how they change the force or distance needed for a task.

30min lesson

Objectives3 goals Lesson6 blocks Review11 assets Practice37 items

Learning objectives

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3 goals

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Recognise levers, pulleys, wheels and axles, ramps, wedges, and screws.
Explain the trade-off between effort force and distance.
Distinguish a fixed pulley from a movable pulley.

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Key idea

A simple machine helps us apply force in a useful way. Six common types are the lever, pulley, wheel and axle, inclined plane, wedge, and screw. The effort is the force we apply; the load is what we move or resist. A lever is a rigid bar that turns around a pivot called the fulcrum. A pulley is a grooved wheel that guides a rope. A wheel and axle has a larger wheel joined to a narrower shaft so they turn together, as in a round doorknob and its shaft. An inclined plane is a slope, such as a loading ramp. A wedge has a thin edge and sloping surfaces that can separate material, as in a chisel blade. A screw has a spiral thread, like a slope wrapped around a cylinder. A screw and the screwdriver turning it are different objects. A machine can reduce the effort force or change its direction. When it reduces force, we usually apply that force over a longer distance. It does not create energy or remove the work needed to raise a load. Friction means a real machine needs extra input energy.

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6 lesson sections6 cards / 5 notes19 MCQs / 18 written questions

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Force, Energy, and Simple Machines

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Simple Machines

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Simple Machines

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Force, Energy, and Simple Machines

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