- A lever is used to push or pull to move something heavy or quickly. Your elbow acts as a lever every time you lift something. People have been using levers as long as they have been on Earth. You can even see animals using this simple tool in nature. A lever increases the amount of force exerted on an object. Modern levers include scissors, bottle openers, and hammers.
- The wheel and axle has been associated with the transformation from the cave man to modern man. However, the wheel wasn't introduced until around 3500 B.C., known as the Bronze Age. The wheel allows you to do work more easily and for a longer amount of time. The wheel creates a mechanical advantage by reducing the amount of friction required to do a job. You can find a modern wheel on your car, wheelbarrow, and even in your pencil sharpener.
- A pulley system is a simple machine that decreases the effort needed to lift a heavy object. Pulleys control force and speed needed to lift an object off of the ground. It's thought that many of the cathedrals and churches were built using pulley systems. Modern day cranes and sail systems on boats are examples of pulley systems in action.
- An inclined plane is a flat surface that makes it easier to move something that's heavy by decreasing the amount of force needed to move it. A wedge is a type of inclined plane where two planes are back to back. Simple tools that are inclined planes are screws or ramps.
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