Simple Machines All Around Us

The screw is a simple machine that changed the world in remarkable ways. In the 1440s, the screw was central to the success of the printing press, which allowed scientists and great thinkers around the world to share ideas. Today, screws are necessary to hold a variety of objects together, from chairs to light bulbs. They also manifest in the forms of ceiling fans and airplane propellers. With approachable text and an image gallery of recognizable objects that use this simple machine, this book allows early readers to understand the forces and STEM concepts that make screws vital to the modern world.

Readers likely use the wheel and axle machine every day in the form of doorknobs and faucet handles, but this fascinating invention is often overlooked. This book helps readers understand how the wheel and axle simple machine is all around them and helps build compound machines. Approachable text provides lasting knowledge about the forces that make these devices work. Bright full-color photographs including a picture gallery showing familiar objects using this simple machine aid readers in comprehending just how these mechanisms make tasks easier. The concepts in this book enhance a variety of elementary STEM curricula.

The towering pyramids in Egypt would not exist without the inclined plane. This simple device transformed the way people do work by allowing workers to move objects without having to lift them vertically. Inclined planes as ramps are vital to modern-day life, allowing trucks to transport everything from furniture to food. Readers learn how to recognize these devices with this engaging narrative as it conveys crucial STEM concepts. The compelling information in this book, including photographs of familiar objects that are inclined planes, allows readers to understand the importance of the inclined plane and the forces that make it work.

A wedge is simply a triangular tool made of two inclined planes, but it can take on many complex jobs. These include cutting objects into pieces, holding objects in place, and lifting heavy loads. When attached to a handle, a wedge becomes a knife, ax, or shovel that makes even more tasks easier. This volume gives readers a lasting understanding of the forces that make these devices work. The concepts in this book bolster STEM curricula and feature eye-catching photographs, age-appropriate text, and a picture gallery of real-world wedges allowing readers to understand the continued importance of this simple machine in their daily lives.

What do sailboats and theater curtains have in common? Your readers will learn the answer, its pulleys. The pulley plays an important role in modern daily life. This simple machine makes raising and lowering heavy loads much easier. From fixed pulleys to moveable and compound pulley systems, readers gain an in-depth understanding of the forces that make these machines work. Readers learn the STEM concepts behind how pulleys have vital roles in compound machines, from allowing cranes to work on buildings to giving bicycles their smooth ride. Eye-catching photographs including a picture gallery of common objects that use pulleys give readers an in-depth understanding of these revolutionary devices.

From playing on a seesaw to swinging a baseball bat, levers are a simple machine that can be found everywhere. However, it may not be easy for readers to know exactly how these common devices work. This book is here to help with captivating full-color photographs, including a gallery of familiar objects that use levers. Readers learn through concepts aligned with elementary STEM curricula that levers consist of a plank that pivots on a fulcrum and there are three classes. Approachable text and relatable examples will help readers grasp ways to recognize and use these important mechanisms in their daily lives.