Unit III : Weeks 2-3
Prologue: Tools for a new land
The first settlers in many countries settled beside rivers, and they built their first machines using the river's power. The story of settlers in America can teach us a great deal about the history of tools, as it was a very recent "invasion". What did they bring with them? What did they need to build first?
Among the possessions of one Massachusetts settler. John Tinker, who settled by the "mill cove" in Massachusetts in order to make use of water power, were saws, axes, augurs, a harrow (for breaking soil and plowing), locks, scales and iron weights. One of his first enterprises was to try to build a saw mill to produce cut logs for the building of houses. Waterwheels were also built early.)
Warming up with simple machines: Simple machines are devices that make work easier. Imagine climbing to the top of a steep hill on a hot day. Think about what hard work it would be. Next, try to imagine climbing the same height on a more gentle slope. It would take longer, but you would not find it such hard work. There are machines all around you.
- Look around your neighborhood and identify any kind of machinery that help makes work easier. List these items.
- *Let's now focus on simple machines that are often combined to make more powerful, complex machines. Using the chart below, you will see the type of simple machines that we use. Look at your list or the items (or pictures of items) provided by your teacher and classify which type of simple machines they are. Keep in mind, some machines are classified complex. This is because they are a combination of more than one type of simple machine.
| Type of Simple Machines | Type of work done or made easier by the simple machine | Examples of simple machines |
| Wedge | Helps to cut or split things | |
| Levers | Helps move things with less force | |
| Wheels | Used to move things more easily from one place to another | |
| Screw | Holds things together and can be used to lift | |
| Inclined Plane | Used to move things from a low place to a high place or vice versa | |
| Pulleys and Gears | Used to lift loads more easily |
To check your examples of the type of machines, click here.
To build and operate some simple machines,
select your choice from the linked items on the chart above.
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