Simple Machines Scavenger Hunt

Nick Conrad
Spencer Milner

List of Simple Machines
1
st
class lever
2
nd
class lever
3
rd
class lever
Wheel and axle
Fixed Pulleys
Moveable Pulleys
Block and tackle
Inclined plane
Screw
Wedge
Gear

What is Mechanical Advantage?
Mechanical Advantage (MA) is the advantage
gained by the use of a mechanism in
transmitting force.
A simple machine will either increase distance and
reduce force or increase force and reduce distance.
MA cont.
IMA vs. AMA
IMA, or the ideal mechanical advantage, is the perfect world. There is
no friction loss and everything works at 100% efficiency.
1. DE is the effort distance
2. DR is the resistance distance
3. IMA = DE / DR
AMA, or the actual mechanical advantage, is the cold reality. Friction
is accounted for and nothing works at 100% efficiency.
1. FE is the effort force
2. FR is the resistance force
3. AMA = FR / FE



Dolly: 1
st
class lever and wheel and axle
Lets say youre moving to a new house and youve
got a ton of heavy boxes to move to the moving van.
Now, since these boxes are fairly cumbersome and
heavy you can only carry one at a time. With a dolly,
not only can you carry more than one of these boxes
at one time, but it also requires the user to apply less
effort to move these boxes as a first class lever.
1
st
class lever IMA: 8.55:1
Wheel and axle IMA: 14.35:1
Multiplied IMA: 122.69:1


Quick Note: Gear ratio
Gears dont use MA the same way as the rest
of the simple machines. Gears use whats
called GR, or gear ratio.
There are four formulas, that are equal to one
another, to find gear ratio, but you will at least
need to be know one of these factors in order
to find it, in other word, it must be given.

GR cont.
GR consists of these formulas:
(n represents the # of teeth on a gear) n out/ n in
(d represents the diameter of the gear) d out/ d in
(this should be the Greek symbol, represents
angular velocity) W in/ W out
(funny looking t represents torque) t out/ t in

Gears on a bike: gears
Bikes are great for getting around quicker than
walking and can be a lot of fun, but try to imagine
biking along rugged terrain, like mountain biking. It
would be much more difficult to trudge through that
terrain without gears. With gear sets, you dont need
to do that.
Gear ratio: 0.428:1

Threads of a Light Bulb: screw
You may have to screw in a light bulb for a
while, but it takes a very small amount of
force. You sacrifice distance for force just like
any screw. Using threads gives you an
advantage since it takes a lot of rotations to
completely remove it from the socket.
Light bulb IMA: 3.25(pi):1

Bottle Opener: 2
nd
class lever
If youve ever tried to peel a bottle cap off of a
bottle, you know how hard it is. With this
bottle opener, you can use a second class lever
to your advantage to pry it off.
Bottle opener IMA: 5.44:1

Dagger: wedge
Although this dagger has the potential to be a
weapon, it can also be used as a convenient tool. It
can be used to easily open mail such as letters or bills
or it can be used to open boxes. These are pretty
much the only uses I have personally for this item. It
is not; however, ideal for cutting through thick
materials.
Dagger IMA:
Stapler: 3
rd
class lever
We found that a stapler would classify as a
third class lever. If the point of rotation was
not spring loaded (so that it returned to the up
position) the spot where the staples come out
would be the resistance and the part above
(where you push) would be the effort.
Stapler IMA: .8:1