Teacher Cheat Sheet "Simple Machines" printable pdf download

Teacher Cheat Sheet "Simple Machines"

Science Bulletin Board

Teacher “Cheat Sheet”

Topic: Simple Machines

SOL 3.2

6 Simple Machines

-Lever

-Pulley

-Wedge

-Screw

-Wheel and Axle

-Inclined Plane

Brief definition of each:

• Lever: A bar that rests on a support called a fulcrum, which lifts or moves

loads.

Ex. Seesaw, scissors,

• Pulley: A wheel with a groove in the rim where a rope moves something

when pulled. Stress that this is different than wheel and axle. Students will

want to confuse the two since they both involve a wheel.

Ex. Flag Pole, clothes line, crane, window blinds

• Wedge: A device that is wide and thick at one end and pointed at the other

end.

Ex. Door stop, axe, shovel, teeth

• Screw: Inclined plan wrapped around a cylinder. This is used to hold things

together or to lift.

Ex. Screw, light bulb, jar lid

• Wheel and Axle: A wheel with a rod, called an axle, through it’s center. Used

to lift or move loads. It could also be two circular objects that rotate together

around a common axis.

Ex. Bike, door knob, car tires, windmill

• Inclined Plane: A straight, slanted surface used to move an object from point

to another. The slanted surface could also be curved, like a slide, as long as it

is being raised from the bottom to the top.

Ex. Ramp, escalator, staircase, wheelchair ramp, slide

Teacher Cheat Sheet "Simple Machines"