Unit 5: Primary Physics

14 Simple Machines
NCF Competencies Covered:
Expected Learning Outcomes C-2.1 and C-6.1

Knowledge to be gained : • Force and work • Machines • Types of machines

Skill to be developed : • Using simple machines to make work easier to do.
A tude to be inculcated : • Maximum output with minimum effort.

FORCE AND WORK

In science, work is defined as a force acting on an object to move it across a distance.
Pushing, pulling and lifting are common forms of work.

Pushing Pulling Lifting

Furniture movers do work when they move furniture. Gardeners do work when they pull
weeds. To do all these jobs, we either push things or pull them. When we push or pull an
object, we apply ‘force’ on it. So, we can say that force is needed to do work.
Force in simple word means a push or a pull. While the amount of work done is the product
of the amount of force applied to an object and the distance it moves.

Work = Amount of force × Distance moved

MACHINES
A machine is any object that helps us to do work with less effort. Some simple machines are
used to make our work easier. Labourers use a ramp to slide boxes into a truck. Children use
a see-saw to go up and down. We use a screwdriver to fix a screw on a surface. The ramp, see-
saw and screwdriver are examples of simple machines.
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If you have to shift a small object from one place to another, it is possible with little effort,
but if a large object needs to be moved, it is difficult and requires a lot of effort.
To make our work easy, we use machines. A device used to make our work easier is called a
machine.

TYPES OF MACHINES
There are two types of machines: Simple machines and Compound machines.

Machines

Simple Compound
Machines Machines

Inclined Wedge Screw Lever Wheel Pulley

plane & Axle

First Class Second Class Third Class

Lever Lever Lever

1. Simple Machines
A machine that has only one or two parts is called a simple machine.
Simple machines are simple tools used to make work easier. There are six types of simple
machines. They are: inclined plane, wedge, screw, lever, pulley and wheel and axle.
Let’s have a look at the given simple machines:
(i) Inclined plane
An inclined plane is a slope. It helps to move a heavy load with less effort. Can you think of
a slide in the playground that is shaped like an inclined plane?

Ramp in a hospital Loading of cars Roads in mountains

using an inclined plane are built at an incline

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 An inclined plane reduces the amount of force
that you have to apply to move something.
Inclined planes, called ramps, are provided in all
hospitals. They are used to push up wheelchairs
and stretchers for carrying patients. What do Load
Force
you think would happen if hospitals do not have Inclined plane (Gravity)
ramps?
Have you ever seen new cars being loaded onto trucks? The cars are loaded using an inclined
plane.
Roads in hilly regions are also inclined planes. They have a gentle slope that makes it easier
for vehicles to move up.
(ii) Wedge
A wedge is a piece of wood or metal shaped like a triangle that has a sharp edge. It can be
made by putting two inclined planes together to form a triangular shape. For example, an axe
or a knife is a wedge.
A wedge generally has a thick edge and a sharp edge. The sharp edge of a wedge is used to
split or cut an object.

Inclined plane

Wedge
(iii) Screw
A screw is like a nail with an inclined plane wrapped around it. It is a simple
machine that is used to hold things together. All of you must have seen a
screw. A screw is a hard metal (iron or steel) rod having well cut spiral threads
on its surface. A screw is preferred by carpenters as compared to an ordinary
nail. Can you answer why? It is because the threads of a screw grip the wood
more firmly, preventing them from coming out easily.
A screw-jack is a machine having a screw and a lever. It is used to lift heavy
objects such as cars or trucks. Screw nail

Activity 1
Cut a piece of paper in the form of a right angled
triangle. Its slan ng side is an inclined plane. Colour
this surface. Now, wrap this paper around a pencil as
shown in the figure. Compare it with a screw.

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(iv) Lever
You must have seen people opening a soft drink bottle using a bottle opener. The bottle
opener is an example of a lever.
Try pulling a really stubborn weed out of the ground. You know that to pull out a deep,
persistent weed that seems to have taken over your flowerbed can be difficult or sometimes
even painful if you only use your bare hand. However, with a tool like a hand shovel, you
should be able to win the battle. Any tool that pries something loose acts as a lever. A lever is
a simple machine made up of a firm bar that can move freely around a fixed point. The fixed
point is called the fulcrum, while the object being moved is called the load. Basically, a
lever is an arm that pivots (or turns) against a fulcrum (or point).
All levers have three parts:
Fulcrum
Ÿ Load (L): The object to be lifted or moved is
called the load.
Ÿ Fulcrum (F): The point of support on the
lever that does not move is called the
fulcrum.
Ÿ Effort (E): A push or pull that moves the Load Effort
lever, or the force applied, is called the effort. Lever
The lever has been used by human beings for thousand of years.

Types (classes) of lever

Based on the positions of fulcrum, load and effort, levers have been classified into three
types:
(a) First-class levers (L-F-E)
Fulcrum
Look at these pictures. In all of them, the Fulcrum
fulcrum is in the middle. The load is at one
Load
end and effort is applied at the other end. All
these are first-class levers. A lever in which Effort

the fulcrum lies between the load and the

effort is called a first-class lever.
Load

Load (b) Second-class levers (F-L-E)

A lever in which the load lies between the
fulcrum and the effort is called a second-
Effort class lever. A wheel borrow is an example
of a second-class levers.
Fulcrum
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 (c) Third-class levers (F-E-L)
In a third-class lever, the fulcrum and the load are
at the two ends and the effort is applied in the middle.
Effort
A fishing rod is an example of a third-class lever.
Load
Your arm is also a kind of lever. What kind of lever is it? Fulcrum

Effort Load Load Effort Effort Load

Fulcrum Fulcrum Fulcrum

First Class Lever Second Class Lever Third Class Lever

(v) Wheel and Axle

Wheel
Load
Axle The rotation of the lever against a point allows
an object to loosen. That rotatory motion can
also do other kinds of work. Another kind of
lever, the wheel and axle, moves objects across
distances. In general, any wheel with a rod
Force
attached to it is called a wheel and axle
arrangement. This arrangement consists of a
fixed wheel and an axle.

For example, in a toy car, the wheels are

Axle
attached to an axle. When the axle is
turned with great force, it also turns the
wheel. Wheel

Another example of this arrangement is the

screw driver. In the screw driver, the thick
handle acts as the wheel, while the thin rod
with the sharp edge acts as the axle. When
we turn the wheel, it in turn rotates the axle.
Screw driver
(vi) Pulley
A pulley is a wheel with a groove around its outer edge. This groove is for a rope or a chain to
move around the pulley. When we pull on the rope from one side, it lifts the object attached
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to the other side. When we pull the load up, we work against gravity, and it requires more
effort than when we release the load downwards.
A pulley is used to draw water from a well. The pulley is fixed to a support, with is a rope over
it. A bucket is attached to one end of the rope and effort is applied at the other end to pull up
the bucket.
Pulleys are also used to lift heavy engines and fit them into vehicles. Flags are also hoisted
on a flagpole using a pulley as well.
A pulley consists of a wheel that is free to rotate about an axle passing through its centre.

Pulley
Axle
Effort

Load

A pulley A pulley is used to lift objects

2. Compound Machines
If two or more simple machines work together as one, they form a compound machine.
Most of the machines we use today are compound machines, created by combining several
simple machines. Scooter, car, washing machine, mixer-grinder, train, ship are some
examples of compound machines.

CHECK YOURSELF
Tick (3) the correct answer:
1. To move an object we need ________________.
(a) truck (b) money (c) force
2. The object to be lifted by a lever is called the ________________.
(a) load (b) effort (c) fulcrum
3. A V-shaped simple machine is called ________________.
(a) a screw (b) a wedge (c) an axle

NEW WORDS
Pulley : a piece of equipment, consis ng of a wheel and a rope that is used for li ing heavy things

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 SUMMARY
v Force is needed to do work.
v A device used to make work easier is called a machine.
v Inclined planes called ramps are provided in all hospitals.
v A screw is a nail with an inclined plane wrapped around it.
v Any tool that pries something loose act as a lever.
v A pulley is a wheel with a groove around its outer edge.

Exercise
A. Give two examples of each:
1. Lever (i) ________________ (ii) ________________
2. Screw (i) ________________ (ii) ________________
3. Wedge (i) ________________ (ii) ________________
4. Inclined plane (i) ________________ (ii) ________________
B. Answer the following questions:
1. What is the relation between work and force?
2. When is a work said to be done?
C. Fill in the blanks:
1. In a lever of second order, ________________ lies in the centre.
2. A push or a pull applied on an object is called ________________.
3. A road up the hill is an ________________.
4. A ________________ is a firm bar that can move freely around a fixed point.
5. Any tool having a sharp edge and a blunt edge is known as a __________.
D. Answer the following questions in your own words:
1. What are simple machines? How are they useful?
2. On what basis are levers classified? Give two examples.
3. What are inclined planes? Give an example of it.
4. Why does a screw join two pieces of wood better than a nail?
5. How does a small wedge help split a big log of wood?
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 Activity Time
A. Make a list of simple machines you see at home and in school.
B. A trolley is an object with wheels that we use to transport heavy things, such as
luggage. Nowadays, most of the suitcases have wheels attached to them. They are
called trolley bags. You can carry it or pull it with a handle.
Take a trolley bag. Try to lift it and carry it some distance. Can you do it? Do you find it
heavy? Now use the handle to pull the bag. Do you find it easier to carry? You find it
easy to carry because now it acts like a wheel and axle arrangement.

NCF C-6.1
Let Us Visit
You must have seen someone changing a flat tyre
of a car, bus or a truck. Have you ever wondered
how a single man can lift such a heavy vehicle?

Visit a car garage with your father. See how a car is

lifted to change a flat tyre. A car is lifted with the
help of a simple machine called a jackscrew, or
screw jack or simply a jack. Observe how it is
operated by turning a lead-screw.

Be a Young
Researcher
Every household is full of simple machines. Knowingly or unknowingly, we use simple
machines from morning to night.
Given below is a table containing a list of simple machines and a common household item
as its example. Find more examples and complete the table.

Types of simple machines Examples Few more examples

Lever Kitchen knife
Wedge Needle
Screw Light bulb
Wheel and axle Screwdriver
Inclined plane Ladder
Pulley Window blind

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 Subject Link : English
Just like we have simple and complex machines, similarly there are simple, compound
and complex sentences in English.
Ÿ A simple sentence has one complete thought. Example: The boy ran to the store.
Ÿ A compound sentence has two complete thoughts joined with a comma and a
conjunction. Example: The boy ran to the store, and his sister stayed home.
Ÿ A complex sentence has one compete thought plus a dependent clause. Example: The
boy ran to the store where he bought milk.

Label each sentence as simple, compound or complex.

1. The little girl has three dogs. ______________

2. Skippy eats grass, and he runs around all day. ______________

3. Skippy plays more than any of the other dogs because
he has the most energy. ______________

4. Lazybones hates playing. ______________

5. She sleeps in her bed, and she relaxes in the Sun. ______________

6. She loves to sit. ______________

Wedge Pulley Inclined Plane Wheel and Axle

Simple Machines

FOOTNOTE
The objective of this lesson is to familiarise the students with the different types of simple machines and how they make
our work easier and faster.
Give more examples of the five kinds of machines discussed in this lesson. Ask the children to add to the list.

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