A force is a push or a pull, and simple machines help us use force more easily. Tap a machine to see how it makes work simpler.
Try it: compare Lever and Pulley — both change how much effort you need!
A force is simply a push or a pull. Forces can make an object start moving, stop moving, speed up, slow down, change direction, or even change shape.
The force our muscles create to move or lift things.
The pulling force of the Earth that brings objects down.
The force that slows down or stops moving objects when surfaces rub together.
A simple machine is a tool with few or no moving parts that makes work easier — either by reducing the effort needed or by changing the direction of the force.
A see-saw is a lever. It lets a small push on one end lift a much heavier weight on the other end, making the lifting effort feel smaller.
Simple machines are everywhere in daily life — a seesaw and scissors are levers, a well bucket uses a pulley, a ramp is an inclined plane, a doorknob uses a wheel and axle, and a bottle cap uses a screw.
Tap a question to reveal its answer once you've tried it yourself.
Two 20-mark, 30-minute tests. Reveal answers question by question.