Investigate the mechanical advantage of the lever in this interactive activity from the NOVA Web site.

During this lesson, students will have the opportunity to explore levers through hands-on experiences and by navigating the Internet. This lesson allows students to use their experiences to determine how levers and other simple machines...

Have you ever tried to pull out a nail out of wood with your bare hands? Or have you tried to shove a staple through a stack of papers without a stapler? A hammer's claw, a stapler, a pair of pliers and a shovel are each examples of...

Students apply the mechanical advantages and problem-solving capabilities of six types of simple machines (wedge, wheel and axle, lever, inclined plane, screw, pulley) as they discuss modern structures in the spirit of the engineers and...

Investigate how levers can be used to lift objects and discover how the position of the fulcrum affects the force and the distance of the load lifted.

Students investigate the ways in which ancient technologies - six types of simple machines and combinations - are used to construct modern buildings. As they work together to solve a design problem (designing and building a modern...

An extensive site dedicated to the life and legacy of the Greek mathematician Archimedes. Content includes a timeline of Archimedes' life, an overview of several of his inventions, and numerous anecdotes isolating various moments in his...

Simple machines are everywhere, even many of your toys are simple machines. Come visit this science fair project and explore the six types of simple machines. Find out how many are hiding under the hinged lid (yes, another simple...

Piezoelectricity is an electrical effect that occurs when mechanical stress is applied to certain materials, e.g., quartz crystals, Rochelle salts, and barium titanate. The sound of a wrist watch alarm or a smoke detector is made by a...

Taking that internship in a remote mountain lab might not have been the best idea. Pulling that lever with the skull symbol just to see what it did probably wasn't so smart either. But now is not the time for regrets because you need to...

Students will have completed a unit of forces and motion prior to the current unit of study on simple machines (lever, inclined plane, screw, wedge, pulley, wheel and axle). Students will review the functions and examples of simple...

Students will have completed a unit on the six simple machines (lever, inclined plane, pulley, wedge, screw, and wheel and axle) before beginning this project. Students will choose to investigate an invention composed of one or more...

Third graders learn how a catapult works and build their own.

During this lesson, students learn about the six types of simple machines. They define each type of machine, experiment with each type, utilize the Internet to explore each type of machine and build their own simple machine. This lesson...

USS Constitution was built as a fighting machine and utilized the six simple machines of science to accomplish the many tasks required of her. Students will identify and manipulate these machines to create inventions that would have made...

Gives short descriptions of the six types of simple machines.

Good combination of teacher demonstration and student interaction for this simple machine lesson. Great for talking about force and work. Plans are for grades 2-4, yet are adaptable.