Simple machines
Carey Camp (13/14) Dec. 15, 2014
Simple machines are all around, and you rarely ever notice them. This past week. I have found several examples of simple machines. Did you know the air conditioning in your car runs on a simple machine [pictured below is a pulley in a car that runs the air conditioning]? Other simple machines that I have noticed are pictured below. (The pulley below spins so your air conditioning runs. The input force is the air conditioning pulley that is attached to a clutch. The resistance force is the clutch that changes the direction of the spin.)
Screws
Inclined plane
Wedge
A regular wedge splitting wood. This wedge was found in a tool box. (The wedge uses back to back incline planes to split the wood easily. The wedge increases the force over a distance. With increasing pressure on the wood, the wedge splits the wood apart.)