observe how machines work at your home prepare a list of their working principles.
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Answer:-
simple machine, any of several devices with few or no moving parts that are used to modify motion and the magnitude of a force in order to perform work. They are the simplest mechanisms known that can use leverage (or mechanical advantage) to increase force. The simple machines are the inclined plane, lever, wedge, wheel and axle, pulley, and screw.
simple machines
Simple Machines
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Related Topics: Screw Wheel and axle Lever Pulley Inclined plane
The inclined plane
An inclined plane consists of a sloping surface; it is used for raising heavy bodies. The plane offers a mechanical advantage in that the force required to move an object up the incline is less than the weight being raised (discounting friction). The steeper the slope, or incline, the more nearly the required force approaches the actual weight. Expressed mathematically, the force F required to move a block D up an inclined plane without friction is equal to its weight W times the sine of the angle the inclined plane makes with the horizontal (θ). The equation is F = W sin θ.
inclined plane
inclined plane
In this representation of an inclined plane, D represents a block to be moved up the plane, F represents the force required to move the block, and W represents the weight of the block. Expressed mathematically, and assuming the plane to be without friction, F = W sin θ.
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The principle of the inclined plane is used widely—for example, in ramps and switchback roads, where a small force acting for a distance along a slope can do a large amount of work.
The lever
A lever is a bar or board that rests on a support called a fulcrum. A downward force exerted on one end of the lever can be transferred and increased in an upward direction at the other end, allowing a small force to lift a heavy weight.
levers
levers
Two examples of levers(Left) A crowbar, supported and turning freely on a fulcrum f, multiplies a downward force F applied at point a such that it can overcome the load P exerted by the mass of the rock at point b. If, for example, the length af is five times bf, the force F will be multiplied five times. (Right) A nutcracker is essentially two levers connected by a pin joint at a fulcrum f. If af is three times bf, the force F exerted by hand at point a will be multiplied three times at b, easily overcoming the compressive strength P of the nutshell.
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All early people used the lever in some form, for example, for moving heavy stones or as digging sticks for land cultivation. The principle of the lever was used in the swape, or shadoof, a long lever pivoted near one end with a platform or water container hanging from the short arm and counterweights attached to the long arm. A man could lift several times his own weight by pulling down on the long arm. This device is said to have been used in Egypt and India for raising water and lifting soldiers over battlements as early as 1500 BCE.
shadoof
shadoof
Shadoof, central Anatolia, Turkey.
Noumenon
The wedge
A wedge is an object that tapers to a thin edge. Pushing the wedge in one direction creates a force in a sideways direction. It is usually made of metal or wood and is used for splitting, lifting, or tightening, as in securing a hammer head onto its handle.
wedge
wedge
Wedge used for splitting wood.
Shakespeare
The wedge was used in prehistoric times to split logs and rocks; an ax is also a wedge, as are the teeth on a saw. In terms of its mechanical function, the screw may be thought of as a wedge wrapped around a cylinder.
The wheel and axle
A wheel and axle is made up of a circular frame (the wheel) that revolves on a shaft or rod (the axle). In its earliest form it was probably used for raising weights or water buckets from wells.
Its principle of operation is best explained by way of a device with a large gear and a small gear attached to the same shaft. The tendency of a force, F, applied at the radius R on the large gear to turn the shaft is sufficient to overcome the larger force W at the radius r on the small gear. The force amplification, or mechanical advantage, is equal to the ratio of the two forces (W:F) and also equal to the ratio of the radii of the two gears (R:r).
wheel and axle arrangements
wheel and axle arrangements
Two wheel and axle arrangements(A) With a large gear and a small gear attached to the same shaft, or axle, a force F applied at the radius R on the large gear is sufficient to overcome the larger force W at the radius r on the small gear, turning the axle. (B) In a drum and rope arrangement capable of raising weights, a large drum of radius R can be used to turn a small drum.