Lesson Plan: Advanced Physics of Simple Machines

Duration: 2 hours
Target Age: 13 years old

Objective:

• Understand the physics behind simple machines, including force,

work, mechanical advantage, and e ciency.
• Apply mathematical formulas to real-world problems.
• Develop problem-solving skills through advanced exercises.

Hour 1: Conceptual Understanding

1. What Are Simple Machines? (De nition & Purpose)

De nition:
A simple machine is a device that makes work easier by reducing the force
required or changing the direction of force.

Purpose of Simple Machines:

• To reduce e ort (e.g., a pulley helps lift heavy loads).
• To increase force output (e.g., a screwdriver applies more force than
bare hands).
• To change direction of force (e.g., a agpole pulley allows you to pull
down while the ag moves up).

1. Why can’t simple machines create energy?

🔍 Short Answer:

Because of the Law of Conservation of Energy — energy can’t be created or

destroyed, only transformed.

🧠 Full Explanation:

Simple machines like levers, pulleys, and inclined planes help make work easier,
but they do not add extra energy into the system. They simply change the way the
energy is used. For example:
• A ramp lets you use less force to lift something, but you have to push
it over a longer distance.
• A pulley lets you pull down instead of lifting up, but again, you might
have to pull more rope.
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No matter what, the total energy put into the system (your e ort) is the same or
more than the useful output energy. Some of it is always lost as heat, due to
friction or air resistance.

✅ Key Point:
Simple machines redistribute e ort, but can never produce more energy than you
give them.

⚖ Real Physics Law:

\text{Input Energy} = \text{Useful Output Energy} + \text{Energy Lost (mostly due

to friction)}

Why are Simple Machines Important?

• They reduce human e ort.
• They help in lifting heavy objects.
• They make tasks easier and faster.
• They are the foundation of all complex machines.

Key Terms to Understand

• Force: A push or pull that makes an object move.
• Work: When a force is applied to move an object.
• E ort: The force applied to the machine.
• Load: The object that needs to be moved.
• Fulcrum: The xed point around which a lever moves.

1. Lever
2. Inclined Plane
3. Wedge
4. Screw
5. Wheel and Axle
6. Pulley

2. Work, Force, and Mechanical Advantage (15 min)

Work (W):
• Work is done when a force is applied to move an object a certain
distance.
• Formula:
W = F \times d
where W = Work (Joules), F = Force (Newtons), d = Distance (meters).
• Example: If a force of 50N moves an object 3m, the work done is:
W = 50 \times 3 = 150 \text{ J}
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 Mechanical Advantage (MA): This tells us how much a machine multiplies the
force we apply.
• Ratio of output force to input force:
MA = \frac{\text{Output Force}}{\text{Input Force}}
• A higher MA means less e ort is required.

E ciency:

E ciency measures how well a machine converts input work into output work. No
machine is 100% e cient because some energy is lost to friction.

Q. A pulley system requires 200J of input work to lift a weight, but only 150J
of useful output work is obtained.
\text{E ciency} = \left( \frac{150}{200} \right) \times 100 = 75\%
Thus, 25% of energy is lost, likely due to friction.

4. Work, Force, and Energy in Simple Machines

Simple machines help us do the same amount of work but with less e ort by
spreading force over a longer distance.

4. Work, Power, and Energy in Simple Machines

Work Done in Simple Machines

Work = Force × Distance

If you push a box with 10 Newtons of force over 2 meters, the work done is:
10 N \times 2 m = 20 \text{ Joules}

A machine does the same amount of work but reduces the force needed by
increasing the distance.

Power in Simple Machines

\text{Power} = \frac{\text{Work Done}}{\text{Time Taken}}

A more e cient machine does the same work in less time, requiring less power.

Numerical Example:
A worker applies a force of 50N to push a box 6m in 3 seconds.
1. Work done:
W = 50 \times 6 = 300J
2. Power:
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P = \frac{300}{3} = 100W

Energy in Simple Machines

• Kinetic Energy: Energy of motion (e.g., a rolling wheel).

• Potential Energy: Stored energy (e.g., a raised pulley system).
• Conservation of Energy: Energy is not lost but converted (e.g., a
hammer’s potential energy becomes kinetic energy when used).

Numerical Example:

Newton’s Laws Connection:

• Newton’s First Law (Inertia): A seesaw at rest stays at rest unless an
external force is applied.

Newton’s First Law (Inertia): A wheel keeps rolling unless friction stops it.

• Newton’s Second Law (Force = Mass × Acceleration): The greater the

force applied to one end, the greater the movement on the other end.

A heavier object needs more force to move.

• Newton’s Third Law (Action & Reaction): When you push down on a
lever, the other side moves up with equal force.

4. Free-Body Diagrams & Force Vectors

• Force vectors show how forces act on objects (e.g., gravity pulling a
box down a ramp).
• Example:
• Inclined plane: Forces acting include gravity, normal force, and applied
force.
3. Deep Dive into Each Simple Machine (30 min)

1. Levers
• A rigid bar that rotates around a fulcrum.
• Three classes:
1. First-Class Lever: Fulcrum between e ort and load (e.g., seesaw).
2. Second-Class Lever: Load between fulcrum and e ort (e.g.,
wheelbarrow).
3. Third-Class Lever: E ort between fulcrum and load (e.g., tweezers).
• Formula for MA:
MA = \frac{\text{E ort Arm}}{\text{Load Arm}}

Q A lever has an e ort arm of 2m and a load arm of 0.5m. What is its MA?

• Solution:
MA = \frac{2}{0.5} = 4
This means the e ort is reduced by a factor of 4.

2. Inclined Plane
• A sloped surface reduces e ort needed to lift objects.
• Formula:
MA = \frac{\text{Length of Inclined Plane}}{\text{Height}}
• Example: If a 3m ramp lifts an object to a height of 1m, MA = 3.
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🛠 Free-body breakdown:
• Weight (W): Downward arrow.
• Normal Force (N): Perpendicular to the surface.
• Friction (if any): Opposes motion.
• Applied force (F): Along the ramp.

Numerical Example:
A worker pushes a 100N box up a 5m inclined plane with a force of 30N. How
much work is done?
W = 30 \times 5 = 150J
Thus, 150 Joules of work is needed to push the box.

3. Wedge & Screw

• Wedge: Converts force into a splitting motion (e.g., axe).
• Screw: An inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder (e.g., jar lid).

Numerical Example:
A knife blade is 4cm wide and 10cm long. What is its mechanical advantage?
MA = \frac{\text{Length}}{\text{Width}} = \frac{10}{4} = 2.5

Formula for Mechanical Advantage of a Screw:

MA = \frac{\text{Circumference}}{\text{Pitch}}

Numerical Example:
A screw has a thread spacing (pitch) of 2mm and a circumference of 20mm.
MA = \frac{20}{2} = 10
This means the screw multiplies the force by 10 times.
4. Wheel & Axle
• Consists of a large wheel attached to a smaller axle.
• Formula for MA:
MA = \frac{\text{Radius of Wheel}}{\text{Radius of Axle}}

Numerical Example:

A steering wheel has a radius of 30cm, and its axle has a radius of 5cm.
MA = \frac{30}{5} = 6
This means the steering wheel magni es the force 6 times.

5. Pulley
• Changes direction of force.

Types:

• Fixed Pulley: Changes force direction.

• Movable Pulley: Reduces e ort needed.
• Compound Pulley: Combination of both, increasing e ciency.

• Fixed Pulley (MA = 1)

• Movable Pulley (MA = 2 or more)
• Compound Pulley (MA = Number of Ropes Supporting Load)
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 2. A worker uses a pulley system with 4 supporting ropes to lift a 200N
load. What force is required?
• Solution:
MA = 4
\text{E ort Force} = \frac{200}{4} = 50N
The worker needs 50N to lift the load.

2. Real-World Applications (15 min)

• Levers: Crowbars, pliers, bottle openers.
• Inclined Planes: Ramps, escalators.
• Wedges: Knives, chisels.
• Screws: Bolts, corkscrews.
• Wheel & Axle: Bicycles, door handles.
• Pulleys: Cranes, agpoles.

2. How can engineers improve e ciency in machines?

🔍 Short Answer:

By reducing energy losses — mostly due to friction, heat, or unwanted vibrations.

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 🧠 Full Explanation:

E ciency means how much of the input energy is converted into useful output. If a
machine uses 100 Joules of energy but only delivers 70 Joules of useful work, it’s
70% e cient.

Engineers aim to make machines as e cient as possible by:

• Reducing friction: Using lubricants like oil or grease in moving parts.
• Using smoother materials: For example, polished metal or ball
bearings reduce resistance.
• Improving aerodynamics: In cars and planes, designing shapes that
cut through air more easily.
• Using better materials: Lighter, stronger, or more conductive materials
can waste less energy.

✅ Key Point:
Better design = less energy lost = higher e ciency = more useful output.

⚙ E ciency Equation:

\text{E ciency} = \left(\frac{\text{Useful Output Work}}{\text{Input Work}}\right)

\times 100\%

3. What happens if friction is ignored in calculations?

🔍 Short Answer:

You get unrealistic or overly optimistic results — machines will seem to work better
than they really do.

🧠 Full Explanation:

Friction is a force that opposes motion. It’s always present when two surfaces
move past each other — like wheels on a road, or a rope over a pulley.

If you ignore friction:

• Your mechanical advantage will seem higher than it actually is.
• Your e ciency will look like 100%, which never happens in real life.
• You might design machines that fail or don’t work as expected.

For example:
• A car engine without friction? It would overheat and fail instantly.
• A ramp with no friction? The object might slide too fast or never stop.
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✅ Key Point:
Ignoring friction leads to idealized answers, which are useful for learning, but bad
for real-world design.