A Guide to Simple Machines Used in Cars

Written by Carly Hallman

As people perform work, simple machines can make tasks easier by pushing or pulling objects over a distance. Simple machines include pulleys, wheels and axles, levers, inclined planes, screws, and wedges. When more than one simple machine works together, they create a compound machine.

Pulleys

• Pulleys: A Physical Science Activity – This website provides a lesson plan to teach about pulley systems.
• Pulley Power – Use this lesson plan to teach third graders about identifying and using pulleys.
• Understanding Simple Machines: The Pulley – Use these activities to present information about fixed and moveable pulleys.
• Simple Machines: Pulleys – Learn more about pulleys and simple machines by watching this video.
• Powerful Pulleys Activity Template – This lesson plan utilizes interactive games and activities to teach fourth graders about pulleys.

Wheels and Axles

• A Workshop on Simple Machines – This document presents activities to teach students about simple machines.
• Simple Machines: Building Race Cars – Teach students about wheels and axles with this lesson plan about building different types of car models.
• Simple Machines Guide – This web page provides an activity for making and testing a wheel and axle machine.
• Putting the “Simple” in Simple Machines – This web page offers teaching activities to show students how pulleys and wheels and axles work together.
• Simply Amazing – Use this sixth-grade lesson plan to define and demonstrate simple machines, including the wheel and axle.

Levers

• Classroom Activities: Lever Lift – Present levers to students with a brick-and-skewer activity.
• Just a little Bit of Effort: Exploring Levers – Teach sixth-to-eighth graders about levers using demonstrations of lever models.
• First Class Levers – This lesson plan teaches fourth and fifth graders about levers with ideas for hands-on learning activities.
• Making Marshmallow Catapults – Show students how levers work by providing materials for making marshmallow catapults.
• How do Levers Work? – Use this page to explain how the fulcrum and force work together to create a lever.

Inclined Planes

• Simple and Complex Machines – This web page introduces the ramp as a simple machine.
• The Ramp – Follow instructions on this web page to test the effectiveness of the inclined plane with household objects.
• Inclined Plane – Use this teacher’s guide to show students how an inclined plane moves materials.
• Acceleration Lab – Teach students about inclined planes and math concepts to measure the relationship between plane angle and acceleration.
• Inclined Plane – This lesson plan introduces planes and wedges as tools and provides suggestions for testing effectiveness.

Screws

• Machines in Motion – Use this guide to describe the purpose of screws. The lesson plan suggests several ways for students to experiment with screws.
• Second Grade Work & Simple Machines Unit – This lesson plan offers activities for teaching students about simple machines, including a scavenger hunt.
• Simple Machines Stations – Teach students about screws at a screw station, complete with materials that enable experimentation and testing.
• Simple Machines – This web page explains the combination of an inclined plane and a cylinder to create a screw.
• Science of Simple Machines – This web page presents a web quest to students to explore simple machines, including the screw.

Compound Machines

• Simple Machines and Compound Machines – Explore how more than one simple machine will create a compound machine on this web page.
• A Web Quest about Simple and Compound Machines – Send students on a web quest to explore the world of simple and compound machines.
• About Compound Machines – This lesson plan reinforces the concepts of simple machines and how they can make compound machines.
• Simple Machines – Adapt this lesson plan to teach students of all ages about simple and compound machines.
• Create a Gadget Lesson Plan – Teach third graders about compound machines by encouraging them to design a gadget.

Wedges

• Let’s Get Physical With Science – This web page suggests taking students outside to experiment with playground equipment featuring simple machines.
• A Guide to Simple Machines – Use this guide to explore simple machines, including the wedge.
• Simple Machines – Explore hands-on explanations and lessons that demonstrate the wedge and other simple machines.
• Kitchen Gadgets Galore – This lesson plan presents common kitchen gadgets as simple machines.
• Rube-Goldberg Devices and Simple Machines – Explore cartoon presentations of simple machines, including the wedge.

Other Resources

• Learning About Simple Machines – This web page offers suggestions for activities to teach students about simple machines.
• Activities for Teachers – Educators can use this website as a resource for teaching simple machines.
• Simple Machines – This lesson plan presents simple machines and activities.
• Simple Machines with Lego Dacta Kits – Learn how to use Lego Dacta kits to teach simple machine concepts.
• Simple Machines Used in History – Connect simple machines with their historical invention using these lesson plans.