Forces, Motion, and Simple Machines

Investigate forces and motion in technological designs, including friction, forces, inertia, simple machines, and gravity.

Gears forming a simple machine (Image source. More about the photograph)

Learn more

Related pages

• KidSenses Children's InterACTIVE Museum: The interactive exhibits at this children’s museum spark the imagination and kids have fun as they play and learn.
• Levers and mechanical advantage: This lesson is part of the unit "Work, power, and machines." In this lesson, students will be introduced to the basic principles of all machines and review the six simple machines. They will use a first class lever to explore the relationship between fulcrum position and effort force required to operate the lever.
• Exploring mechanical advantage with simple machines: This lesson is part of the unit "Work, power, and machines." In this lesson, students will conceptually and quantitatively explore ideal and actual mechanical advantage with three simple machines: the lever (second- and third-class), the inclined plane, and the pulley.

Related topics

• Learn more about Magnetism, force and motion, friction, gravity, physics, science, and simple machines.

Legal

Lesson plans

Solving problems using simple machines

This lesson uses the familiar story of the three pigs and the big bad wolf to explore how the wolf could have used simple machines to catch the three pigs. By reading, analyzing, and evaluating the wolf’s use of simple machines in The 3 Pigs and the Scientific Wolf by Mary Fetzer, the students will design and justify their own machine to help the wolf catch those pigs! (Grade 5 Science, English Language Arts, and English Language Development)

Move it! With simple machines

In this Science NetLinks lesson, students will start by discussing a couple of the simple machines and what the purpose of them might be. Then, after reading a short page on each simple machine, they will discuss how the simple machines function. They will explore this briefly in a hands-on fashion and lead into the discussion and realization that these tools are the base for almost any machine or more complex tool that we use. (Grade 5 Science)

Studying simple machines with Rube Goldberg

Using a copy of a Rube Goldberg cartoon, show how the famous cartoonist drew weird and wacky machines to complete a simple task. Students will develop their own Rube Goldberg-type cartoon, using five types of simple machines, to accomplish their selected feat. (Grade 7 Science)

Blast off the wet way

This lesson takes 6–10 days and includes math classes in which students will serve as observers and will calculate the height that the rocket reached and time elapsed. In the science class the students will design, build, launch, and do a detailed analysis of the acceleration, speed, and force produced by water-filled two-liter rockets. (Grade 7 Mathematics and Science)

g: a pendulum

Students will time the periods of pendulums to determine if length or mass affects them. Students can then use a pendulum to calculate the acceleration of gravity. (Grades 9-12 Science)

Websites

BiteSize: Physical Science

Learn more about force by exploring these interactive activities from the BBC. For each you can complete the activity, access the fact sheet and take a quiz. Check out magnetism, gravity/fiction, and springs/direction.

Edheads: Simple Machines

Identify the simple and compound machines found in the home.

Essence of Simple Machines

Select the inclined plane, screw, lever, wedge, wheel and axle to find out how it works, why it works, and how it is used to accomplish tasks in the home or workplace.

Amusement Park Physics

Learn about physics by designing a roller coaster that must pass a safety inspection. Also find physics terms in a glossary and read about the history of roller coasters.

How Everything Works

This site has the answers to questions about physics in everyday life and how things work such as microwaves, roller coasters, clocks, and magnetically levitated trains.