St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley: Gateway to Technology: An integrated study of Mathematics, English, Reading and Engineering/Tech
Student Handout: Project #3 Simple Machines
Problem Scenario for Simple Machines
Some fifty-pound boxes (2’x2’x2’) need to be
unloaded from trucks and moved to a second-floor
storage area. Eight-hundred boxes need to be moved.
One solution is to walk them up a narrow flight of
stairs. A second possibility is for you to develop humanpowered simple machines to make this project more
comfortable for the three employees responsible for the
move. A large window is located approximately fifteen
feet above the ground.
Performance Expectations
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Instructors will evaluate student teams and
individual students on the project; the
evaluation will include problem-solving and
teaming skills used by students and student
teams.
Students will have opportunities for selfevaluation, peer evaluation, and team
evaluation.
Individual instructors will test and grade
students individually on content workshops
and activities.
The team presentation will be evaluated and
graded by the faculty team.
A general misconception is that machines can
decrease the amount of work
required to complete a
specific task. Work in science
deals with force and distance.
Even though holding a
five-gallon bucket full of water
may be difficult, you are not
doing work in science
because no distance is
involved. When you lift or
move the bucket, however,
you are doing work.
We find that machines can only make the work we
do easier, but they can never decrease the work that we
do. In industry, having an understanding of work and
simple machines allows us to use these devices
efficiently without wasting energy.
©2003 STLCC at Florissant Valley
Examine three alternatives for lifting the boxes.
Levers, lifts and pulley systems are among the choices
you might consider. What equipment is currently used
for lifting?
This problem addresses the topics of force,
acceleration, velocity, displacement, work, energy, and
power. It also builds upon the discussion of power in the
electronics problem #2.
Objectives
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Investigate the mechanical advantage of simple
machines, and devise a plan for moving bulk
materials from a delivery truck to second floor.
Measure/calculate length, area, volume, and
force in SI and US Customary systems.
Apply the conservation of energy to the
operation of the simple machine.
Determine the amount of work done by a simple
machine.
Make an oral presentation supported by visuals.
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St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley: Gateway to Technology: An integrated study of Mathematics, English, Reading and Engineering/Tech
Types of Simple Machines
Lever
Gear
Two tooth-edged wheels fit together so that one
wheel will turn the other. A gear may also have a
screw or a tooth-edged shaft instead of another
wheel.
Examples: clock, bicycle, drill, automobile
Inclined Plane
The inclined plane is the simplest machine because
nothing moves except you to make it work. Other
terms for an inclined plane are slope and ramp. An
incline plane is used to change the distance and effort
involved in doing work, such as lifting loads.
Examples: Ramp, staircase, sink drain
A lever is a stick that is free to pivot or move back
and forth at a certain point. Levers are very common
because just about anything that has a handle on it
has a lever attached. The point on which the lever
moves is called the fulcrum. By changing the position
of the fulcrum, you can gain extra power with less
effort.
Examples: see-saw, hammer, door on hinges, bottle
opener
Wheel and Axle
A wheel and axle is really two machines in one: a
larger wheel connected by a smaller cylinder (axle),
which is fastened to the wheel so that they turn
together. Wheels make it easy to move an object
across the ground because they cut down on the
amount of friction between what is being moved and
the surface it is pulled against. When the axle turns,
the wheel moves farther than the axle, but less force
is needed to move it. The axle doesn’t move as far,
but more force is needed to move it.
Examples: wagon, car, door knob, sink faucet
Wedge
A wedge is an inclined plane turned on its side or two
inclined planes joined back to back. But instead of
helping you move things to a higher level, a wedge
helps you split or push things apart.
Examples: knife blade, axe, zipper
Screw
The screw is really an inclined plane wrapped around
a shaft or cylinder with a wedge at the tip. Screws are
used in many different places to hold things together.
Examples: bolt, spiral staircase
©2003 STLCC at Florissant Valley
Pulley
The pulley is really a wheel with a groove around the
outside edge and an axle with a rope or chain
attached. A pulley affects the direction of motion to
work with gravity so it makes work easier.
Examples: flag pole, crane, mini-blinds
Spring
A spring is a resilient coil that can be compressed or
extended.
Examples: fish scale; pogo stick, clocks and watches,
piston engines, shock absorbers
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St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley: Gateway to Technology: An integrated study of Mathematics, English, Reading and Engineering/Tech
Simple Machines Presentation Assignment
Problem-Solving Report Oral Presentation (PowerPoint--Multimedia)
As you work on the problem for Project #3, come up with three alternative solutions using
simple machines.
Make a working outline of your presentation in Microsoft Word. Fill in subsections as you
complete the research and work needed for solving the problem. Then you can import your
outline into PowerPoint slides. Use a report format using sections like the following:
Introduction
State your thesis idea (hypothesis with three alternatives) for solving the simple machines
problem in one sentence. This is the main purpose for writing this report. You should also
include a short summary (one or two sentences only) of the problem.
Problem
Describe the problem in depth. You may want to include drawings and diagrams of the
storage building and its physical features as well as the boxes that have to be moved
there. The drawing tools in Word allow you to do some simple drawings. Try to describe
the physical limitations for the three employees having to move the boxes. You should
have one-two paragraphs in addition to your visuals.
Process
In this section you will have three parts, each of which is a solution to the problem. Show
your formulas and computations as you work on each alternative. Use the terminology
and formulas to describe force, acceleration, velocity, displacement, work, energy, and
power. Draw or use clip art for each machine. Make diagrams as necessary. Excel charts
and graphs may be helpful. You may want to use the animation features of PowerPoint as
you explain each alternative.
Alternative One
Alternative Two
Alternative Three
Preferred Alternative
Explain which alternative solution you would use and tell why.
Conclusion
You may want to explain what you learned about simple machines in this project. You
may also tell how your learning may help you in a future career as an engineer or
technician.
©2003 STLCC at Florissant Valley
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St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley: Gateway to Technology: An integrated study of Mathematics, English, Reading and Engineering/Tech
Simple Machines Project Evaluation Criteria (student designed)
1 = Weak 2 = Moderately Weak 3 = Average 4 = Moderately Strong 5 = Strong
Problem Solving
1. The student first determines the facts of a problem and what additional information is needed to
understand it.
1 2 3 4 5
2. The student develops reasons to support alternative solutions and assesses the supporting and refuting
reasons to identify the most effective alternative.
1 2 3 4 5
3. The student’s problem solving employs the appropriate and accurate calculations
1 2 3 4 5
4. The student’s problem solving shows an understanding of the concepts in the simple machines unit.
1 2 3 4 5
Presentation
5. The topic of the presentation meets the requirements of the assignments.
1 2 3 4 5
6. The presentation is well organized and cohesive.
1 2 3 4 5
7. The presentation indicates an understanding of the simple machines.
1 2 3 4 5
8. The presenter delivers ideas in a clear and concise fashion
1 2 3 4 5
9. The presenter speaks clearly and in a loud voice and maintains eye contact with the audience.
1 2 3 4 5
10. The presenter and the presentation use correct standard English sentence structure, mechanics, grammar
and spelling.
1 2 3 4 5
Additional Comments: ___________________________________________________________
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Total Points/Grade: __________
©2003 STLCC at Florissant Valley
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