Home > Encyclopedia of Science > Machines, Simple

• Everyday work
• Earliest simple machines
• Words to Know
• Trade-offs of simple machines
• Lever
• Pulley
• Wheel and axle
• Inclined plane
• Wedge
• Screw

A simple machine is a device for doing work that has only one part. Simple machines redirect or change the size of forces, allowing people to do work with less muscle effort and greater speed, thus making their work easier. There are six kinds of simple machines: the lever, the pulley, the wheel and axle, the inclined plane, the wedge, and the screw.

Everyday work

We all do work in our daily lives...