Simple Machines - Inclined Plane, Wedge & Screw

The students have enjoyed learning about inclined planes.  We tried lifting a bag of marbles straight up and then pulling it up an inclined plane and we learned that it is easier to pull the bag of marbles up an inclined plane than to lift the bag straight up.  

Our next experiment was on wedges.  First the students tried pushing a block into rice and then they tried pushing a wedge into the rice.  They learned that it was easier to push the pointed wedge into the rice.

Today, the students made "screws" with a paper inclined plane wrapped around their pencils.  The students learned that a screw is really like an inclined plane.  Also, a screw with more threads is easier to screw into wood than one with fewer threads.

After each activity the students are writing what they're learning in the Simple Machine booklets.  They are working hard and learning a lot about simple machines!