Wheel and Axle
Nadia Esmail & Kiera Floyd
What is a wheel and axle?
A wheel and axle is a simple machine consisting of a wheel (or crank) and an axle that turn on the same axis. Steering wheels, doorknobs, and screwdrivers are wheel-and-axle devices. A crank replaces the wheel in devices such as windlasses, bicycle pedals, and hand drills.
Examples....
Wheels on a car
Water wheel (old fashioned source of water power)
What is the advantage of this?
When the force is applied to the wheel in order to turn the axle, force is increased and the distance and speed is decreased. When the force is decreased, the distance and speed are increased.
Mechanical advantage calculation....
The mechanical advantage of this machine is calculated by finding the ratio between the radius of the wheel and that of the axle.