TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: A Simple Solution for the Circus
In this activity, students are challenged to design a contraption using simple machines to move a circus elephant into a rail car. After students consider their audience and constraints, they work in groups to brainstorm ideas and select...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Modern Day Pyramids
Students investigate the ways in which ancient technologies - six types of simple machines and combinations - are used to construct modern buildings. As they work together to solve a design problem (designing and building a modern...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Simple Machines
Through a five-lesson series with five hands-on activities, students are introduced to six simple machines - inclined plane, wedge, screw, lever, pulley, wheel-and-axle - as well as compound machines, which are combinations of two or...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Slinking Slinkies
Want to do a project with a toy your parents, or even grandparents, might have played with? Slinkies are fun toys that also make great science fair projects. In this experiment you can build an inclined plane to compare the walking speed...
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Episd: Inclined Planes
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Students will identify how work and force are figured out on inclined planes as well as how to apply Newton's Second Law of Motion to them.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: There's a Machine in My Toy Box!
Simple machines are everywhere, even many of your toys are simple machines. Come visit this science fair project and explore the six types of simple machines. Find out how many are hiding under the hinged lid (yes, another simple...
Soft Schools
Soft Schools: Simple Machines
Identify the six simple machines by dragging the correct term, and dropping it onto the associated simple machine.
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: An Inclined Plane
In this activity, Students can use a Force Sensor to measure the force needed to lift an object and the force needed to pull the same object up an inclined plane. They will also calculate work done and efficiency and make conclusions.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Inertia: An Object in Motion Will Tend to Stay in Motion
This activity is a take off of Galileo's experiment with the inclined planes to show that an object in motion would stay in a straight line motion if no outside forces acted were acting on it. In this version, young scholars will roll a...
TryEngineering
Try Engineering: Simple Machines
The purpose of this lesson is to learn about the different types of simple machines and their uses. PDF (requires Adobe Reader) and RTF (requires Word or Notebook).
Beacon Learning Center
Beacon Learning Center: Simple Machines Made Simple
The six types of simple machines are explained clearly through pictures, text and videos.
Beacon Learning Center
Beacon Learning Center: How Can We Move Our Principal?
In this problem solving exercise, students must decide which simple machine would work best in different situations, in order to help the principal manoeuvre himself after he has hurt his leg and can't walk. The site has a good tutorial...
American Association of Physics Teachers
Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Sliding Down an Incline Plane
Here is a simulation demonstrating an object placed on an inclined plane. The user will vary the slope of the plane to see the relationship the slope has on the gravity of the object and the static friction.
Other
Institute of Physics: Practical Physics: Investigating Motion Sloping Surface
This experiment allows both acceleration and deceleration to be investigated by data logging the output from a motion sensor.
The Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute Online: Simple Machines
Information on all six simple machines, nicely presented with extra information available for all. Other sources available. Do "Try This Demonstration."
Other
University of Arkansas: Simple Machines
A thorough discussion of all the simple machines, beginning with some thoughts on mechanical advantage and conservation of energy. Very complete. Move down to the section that interests you.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Study Jams! Science: Force and Motion: Simple Machines
A slideshow and a short quiz on simple machines and how they reduce the amount of work or effort needed to complete a task.
University of Houston
University of Houston: Science Lessons: Simple Machines Learning Site
Provides definitions of all 6 simple machines with examples and student drawing of them. Interactive "simple machines quiz" at the end.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Engineering: Simple Machines
Simple machines are devices with few or no moving parts that make work easier. Students are introduced to the six types of simple machines - the wedge, wheel and axle, lever, inclined plane, screw, and pulley - in the context of the...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Pyramid Building: How to Use a Wedge
Students learn how simple machines, including wedges, were used in building both ancient pyramids and present-day skyscrapers. In a hands-on activity, students test a variety of wedges on different materials (wax, soap, clay, foam)....
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Slide Right on by Using an Inclined Plane
Students explore building a pyramid, learning about the simple machine called an inclined plane. They also learn about another simple machine, the screw, and how it is used as a lifting or fastening device. During a hands-on activity,...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Simple Machines and Modern Day Engineering Analogies
Students apply the mechanical advantages and problem-solving capabilities of six types of simple machines (wedge, wheel and axle, lever, inclined plane, screw, pulley) as they discuss modern structures in the spirit of the engineers and...
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Plix Series: Friction
[Free Registration/Login Required] Use given friction formulas and an interactive diagram for an inclined plane to solve a motion problem. After the activity, answer a challenge question to check for understanding.
Utah Education Network
Uen: Force, Energy, and Motion: Complex Machines for Simple Tasks!
Designed for Grade Eight, this collection of lessons provides information, examples and quizzes related to simple machines. Elementary students studying this topic will find this site informative as well.