Wheels, Axles & Discover: Wheels, Axles & Discover:

Learning about: Learning about:

Inclined Planes What is the wheel and axle mechanism? Inclined Planes Is there any other way that the wheel and
Wheel size and friction What difference does it make if we use big Wheel and axle as a lever axle mechanism can be used?
When you see a truck or a tractor the first thing you notice is the or small wheels? There are many types of doors that open and close in a variety of
size of their enormous wheels. Besides support, do you know for What is friction? ways. Some of them function automatically. In ordinary doors
what other reason these wheels are used? Also, in a formula car there are two main ways of use: the knob and the handle. Do
race the driver must make one pit stop in order to change the they work in the same principle? Find out through the next
Level Of Difficulty Level Of Difficulty
wheels. Follow the next experiment to find out why. experiment.

1. Complete the following table according to your observations 1. Place an arrow on the knob (wheel) and on the crank to show
Materials Needed: Materials Needed:
in test A. the direction we need to apply our force in order to unlock the
- Engino® Simple Machines (STEM40) or - Engino® Simple Machines (STEM40) or door.
Wheels, Axles & Inclined Planes (STEM02) or Wheels, Axles & Inclined Planes (STEM02) or
Test A Type of vehicle Elevation (cm)
Master Set (STEM50). Master Set (STEM50).
- A ruler and various materials as surfaces.
case 1 3

Procedure:
Procedure: 1. Find the instructions in pages 34-35 and
1. Find the instructions in pages 31-33 and case 2 7 build the door with knob model.
build the launching platform model.
2. Play a bit with your model in order to
2. For test A, place your experimental car understand how it works. Observe how the
2. In which case did you notice the smallest elevation? What is
with the big wheels on the elevating platform, wheel and axle are connected together. Is it a
your conclusion about the size of the wheels?
as close to the extendable rod as possible “fixed” wheel and axle mechanism or a “free
The smallest elevation is observed in case 1. The bigger the wheels, rotation” one? 2. Are the arrows pointing in the same direction? Do we have
and turn the crank slowly. When the car
the same result in both cases? What does this mean?
starts moving down the platform, stop the more M.A. is gained from the wheel and axle machine, so the car
turning the crank. 3. Observe also the locking mechanism that Yes, the arrows are pointing in the same direction and the result is
needs less elevation to overcome static friction as it has more force.
is fixed on the axle. As the wheel and axle the same (door opens). This means that the wheel and axle
3. Measure the height at which the platform turn, the lock turns in the same direction
3. Complete the following table according to your observations securing the door. mechanism works as a lever able to rotate 360o.
has been elevated placing a ruler from the
in test B. Results may vary as friction depends on many factors like
base of the platform (2nd hole of the
temperature, type of material, humidity etc.
extendable rod). Write your measurement in 4. Now, remove the wheel from the model 3. What is the mechanical advantage of the Engino® “door with
Test B Surface of the platform Elevation (cm) knob” model?
the table for case 1. and replace it with a crank (see picture
case 3a initial surface 4 below). Try to open the locking mechanism The mechanical advantage (M.A.) can be found by measuring the
4. For case 2, remove the big wheels from again. You will notice that practically nothing
case 3B printing paper 5 radii of the wheel and axle in mm and applying the formula below:
the experimental car and replace them with changes and the door opens in the same way
case 3c paperboard 8 Vehicle for the second wheel radius 30 mm
the small ones. Repeat the procedure like in
test. Use only this
as before. M.A. =
axle radius
=
1.5 mm _
M.A. = 20
step 3 and complete the table. case 3d sticky tape 7
type for test B, which
case 3e sandpaper 12 is about friction. 4. In the following examples the wheel and axle mechanism
5. In test B we are going to explore the behaves as two different types of levers. Can you identify the
properties of friction. Take the vehicle Engino® crank correct class of lever for each case? A schematic of the forces
without any wheels (see picture on the right) 4. In which case did you measure the biggest elevation? Why applied is provided in order to help you.
and repeat the same procedure as the did this happen?
previous test (case 3a). The biggest elevation occurs ruler E Torque
crank
RE
6. For case 3b, attach a printing in case 3e. The rougher F
elevating E
paper on the platform and the surface of the material, platform
RL
R E
RL
measure the F
L
elevation again. the more difficult it gets for
Repeat the test the car to slide, due to the
using three other A door’s wheel and axle A car’s wheel and axle
materials: Engino “launching increased friction between the mechanism mechanism
paperboard (case 3c), platform” model start measuring
sandpaper and Engino parts. the elevating Wheel and axle working Wheel and axle working
sticky tape (case 3d) first third
height from here as a .......................-class lever as a .......................-class lever
and sandpaper (case 3e). Complete the
second table with your observations. Elevating platform’s elements Engino® “door with knob” model
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 Wheels, Axles & Discover: Wheels, Axles & Discover:
Learning about: Learning about:
Inclined Planes How does the axle’s diameter affects the Inclined Planes What is an inclined plane?
Axle as a pulley lifting force and the distance covered by Inclined plane Which are the elements of an inclined
Since ancient times, wells were used for fetching water. This work the load? Many boys and girls hang out in parks with their roller blades, plane?
was done by sinking a bucket inside the well and bringing it up to bicycles and skates. Inside this exciting environment, full of
the surface using a simple elevation system. Here, we are not adrenaline, the inclined planes are very important. Do you want
going to use our Engino well for getting water, but for to find out how inclined planes help skaters and bikers perform
Level Of Difficulty Level Of Difficulty
experimenting! their extreme stunts? Carry out the next experiment and find out.

1. Complete the following table according to your observations 1. Find the height, length and inclined side of your airport
Materials Needed: from the experiment. In the “turns” column write the number Materials Needed: staircase model and mark them with arrows in the next figure.
- Engino® Simple Machines (STEM40) or of turns and in the “effort” column write the words easy or - Engino® Simple Machines (STEM40) or Use a ruler and measure these elements in centimeters and
Wheels, Axles & Inclined Planes (STEM02) or difficult, comparing the amount of effort you applied. Wheels, Axles & Inclined Planes (STEM02) or complete the table.
Master Set (STEM50). Master Set (STEM50).
- A ruler.
Case Type of axle Turns Effort Element of Distance
Thick axle the staircase (cm)
Procedure:
1. Find the instructions in pages 36-38 and
1. 5 difficult Procedure:
build the well model. When you tie the rope Height 15.7
1. Find the instructions in pages 39-40 and

in
c
on the hook and around the axle, make sure

lin
build the airport staircase model.

ed
that you leave enough length of rope (from

sid
Thin axle Length 15.4
floor to table) to lift the “bucket”.

e
2. Play a bit with your model and move any
16 easy height
2. miniature figures you have on the steps.
2. Place your model between two desks or
Think how a real staircase helps us getting to
chairs, allowing the “bucket” to elevate freely. Inclined Side 22
different heights.
Play a bit with your model in order to
understand how the mechanism works, by length
3. In this experiment we are just going to do
turning the wheel. X2 Remove these pieces from the axle for case 2 some observations about the inclination of
2. Which element of the staircase above is the longest?
the staircase. So, get a ruler and measure the The longest element is its inclined side. This applies in all right-angle
3. Next, lower the “bucket” as much as
distances shown in the table on your right. triangles (hypotenuse is always longer than the other two sides).
possible and turn the wheel until it reaches 2. What conclusion can be extracted from your observations
the top of the well. Count the turns you above regarding the relationship between number of turns,
needed for this task and complete the right effort and thickness of the axle? 3. If we want to reach the top of a hill, which path is the
table, for case 1. In order to make your
The conclusion is that the thicker the axle, the faster the weight is shortest: following the slope of the hill or climbing upright?
counting easier, mark a point on the wheel
Which path is the easiest?
with a pencil or pen, counting every time it lifted (less turns are required), however more effort needs to be
completes a full circle. While you turn the The shortest distance from the ground to the
applied. Reversely, the thinner the axle, the slower the weight is lifted
wheel, feel the effort you need to lift the top of a hill is its upright height. However,
“bucket”. but less effort is required.
climbing is more difficult than walking, thus
4. For case 2, untie the rope from the axle 3. Join the pictures with the correct sentences. Each picture following the slope of the hill is much easier
and remove the two pieces shown below the should be connected with two sentences, one on the left and ®
Engino “airport staircase” model task, but requires more travelling distance.
table. This way, the axle will become thinner. one on the right.
Tie the rope back to its place and repeat the
Easy Medium
procedure as before, completing the rest of
Effort speed 4. Mark with a the device(s) that work on the principle of the inclined plane.
the table, for number of turns and effort.

Hard Slow
Effort speed

Engino® “well” model

Medium Fast
Effort speed

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 Wheels, Axles & Discover: Wheels, Axles & Discover:
Learning about: Learning about:
Inclined Planes How does inclination relates to the lifting Inclined Planes What is a wedge?
Study of different cases force and the distanced travelled by the Wedge How does a wedge multiplies a force?
Have you ever seen a car being towed? If yes, it must have been a load? Phidias was a great Greek sculptor, painter and architect. One of What is the Mechanical advantage and
dreadful experience for the owner I am sure! But from that, What is Work and how can you calculate it? the “seven wonders of the ancient world”, the statue of Zeus at how can you calculate it?
probably you noticed a ramp car lifting the car and taking it away! Olympia, was his creation. For this he used a special form of a
How does this device manage to lift heavy cars or objects so wedge, a sculptor’s chisel! Carry out the following experiment
Level Of Difficulty Level Of Difficulty
easily? Perform the next experiment and find out! and discover what happens with the forces acting on the wedge.

Case 1 1. Complete the following pictures according to your

Materials Needed: 3 Number of beams Materials Needed:
observations from the experiment. Write the words easy or
- Engino® Simple Machines (STEM40) or - Engino® Simple Machines (STEM40) or
difficult, comparing the amount of effort you applied when
Wheels, Axles & Inclined Planes (STEM02) or Wheels, Axles & Inclined Planes (STEM02) or
conducting the two tests.
Master Set (STEM50). Master Set (STEM50).

Procedure: Number of wheels 4 Procedure: Bare Splitting

1. Find the instructions in pages 41-43 and 1. Find the instructions in page 44 and build hands wedge
build the model of the experimental ramp Case 2 the wedge model.
(ignore case 1 and case 2 steps in page 43).
4 Number of rods
Place your ramp on a high desk, leaving 2. Consider the base with the extending rods
enough space for the rope to move. as a “tree log” that is going to be split, similar
to the real axe and log shown in the last
2. In case 1, measure the length of your ramp image below. The wedge is the other object
by counting the number of Engino large grey looking like a “T” shape. This will be the “axe”. difficult easy
rods on the top of the inclined side. Write
your result in the space provided. Then, put
Number of wheels 3
one wheel on the hook and observe whether 2. Can you draw the forces applied on the Engino® splitting
the experimental “vessel” moves up the wedge model based on the drawing of the wedge next to it?
ramp. If not, connect another wheel on the Case 3 6 Number of rods
Engino® “splitting wedge” model
first one with the help of an orange pulley, to Thickness
increase the weight. Repeat the same
F
procedure until the “vessel” starts moving up
the ramp. Write down the minimum number
of wheels you need. F
Length of plane F1 F2
3. In case 2, add at the end of the ramp the 3. First, try to split the “log” using your bare
Number of wheels 2
parts shown in page 43 (case 2). Now your hands, pulling from its sides, feeling the
ramp is longer, but not as steep. Like before, amount of effort you need to apply. Then use
measure the number of Engino beams and the wedge to split the “log” by placing it on
the minimum number of wheels needed for the top and pushing downwards in a gentle
1. At which case did you use the least weight to make the vessel
the “vessel” to start moving up the ramp. manner, like in the picture in the right table. 3. The Mechanical advantage (M.A.) of the wedge, like all
move up the ramp? Why?
Try to feel the amount of effort you apply. simple machines, is defined as the amount by which the input
4. In case 3, add once The least number of wheels (weight) is used in case 3. This happens force is multiplied. For the wedges it can be calculated as the
more at the end of the F length of the inclined plane divided by its thickness. Can you
because the inclined plane is less steep, so it offers more mechanical
ramp the parts shown use your ruler to measure these distances in the figure above
in page 43 (case 3). advantage (less effort is required, but more distance is covered). and calculate the Mechanical advantage? How about the
Now your ramp is even Engino wedge?
longer and has an even 2. Multiply the number of wheels used to make the vessel move F2 F1
length of plane 3
gentler slope. Repeat with the number of beams used (showing the length of the
M.A.figure = = _ M.A.figure = 3
plane) for each case. What do you observe? thickness 1
the same procedure
as before and write your Case 1: 4 x 3 = 12 Case 2: 3 x 4 = 12 Case 3: 6 x 2 = 12 length of plane 8
results in the appropriate M.A.Engino wedge = = _ M.A.Engino wedge = 6.15
The product of the multiplication (force x distance) denotes the work thickness 1.3
places.
needed for the “vessel” to be elevated and is always the same.
Engino® “experimental ramp” model Forces acting on a log when using an axe
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 Exercise 4
Quiz Complete the gaps using the appropriate words from the box (2 points)

wheelbarrow, rotating, free rotation, car,

Exercise 1 supported by, separately, fixed on, together

In the following pictures, James is moving the same load, but he uses a different trolley in each case. In which case
free rotation
do you think is easier to move the load? Complete the boxes below with the words easy or difficult (1 point) There are two types of mechanisms of wheel and axle: “fixed” and “...............................”, which depend on the way
rotating
that the wheel is .......................... in respect to the axle.

fixed on together
In the first case, the wheel is ................................ the axle and they rotate ...................... An example of such
car
mechanism is the ..........................................

supported by the axle and they rotate ....................

In the second case, the wheel is ............................. separately An example of such

wheelbarrow
mechanism is the ...........................................

difficult easy
Exercise 5
Little John wants to move his toys from the living room to his bedroom using a small carrying cart. If the wheel’s
Exercise 2 diameter is 20cm and the axle’s diameter is 4cm, how much mechanical advantage will he gain? (2 points)

Read the following paragraph and erase the wrong words (1 point)
The mechanical advantage is calculated by the ratio of the wheel’s radius to the

The bigger / smaller the wheel, the easier it is to move a vehicle. This happens because the “wheel and axle” axle’s radius. A circle’s radius is half its diameter, therefore we need to divide the

mechanism works as a pulley / lever which rotates 180 / 360 degrees. Therefore, the bigger / smaller the radius of numbers by two first and then apply the M.A. formula, as shown below:
the wheel, or the bigger / smaller the radius of the axle, the less effort is needed for the vehicle to move. wheel radius 10 cm
wheel radius = 20/2 = 10 cm M.A. = = _
axle radius = 4/2 = 2 cm axle radius 2 cm

M.A. = 5

Exercise 3
Join the pictures with correct sentences, two for each picture (1 point)
Exercise 6

Most of the times friction wastes energy and is unwanted. In most machines with moving parts friction resists and
1 Easy effort slows down the motion, causing attrition and damaging the mechanisms in the long-term. Write down 3 ways to
reduce friction. (3 points)
2 Medium effort
(a) Use of different types of lubricants (animal fat in ancient years and grease in modern times).

3 Difficult effort

(b) Use of thinner metal axles instead of thick wooden ones.

4 Slow speed

5 Medium speed
(C) Use of appropriate materials that produce less friction when connected with each other like ball bearings, bronze rings

6 Fast speed and nylon.

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Exercise 7 Exercise 10
Complete the gaps using the appropriate words from the box (1 point) In both cases below (1 and 2) a worker tries to move a box up to a certain height with the help of a frictionless
inclined plane. Draw the forces that are applied on the box in each case. (2 points)

length of plane, screw, thickness,

lever, 60, wedge, 90, weight
1

90
An inclined plane is a surface - a plane - placed with an inclination (slope or tilt), of an angle less than ..........................
degrees on a horizontal surface. N
F1
wedge screw
Two more simple machines are created from the inclined plane: the ................................... and the .................................

length of plane
The mechanical advantage of the wedge depends on its ................................................. thickness
and ..............................................

Exercise 8
2
Read the sentences below about the inclined plane and mark those that are correct (2 points)

With the help of an inclined plane we can transfer a heavy load for a shorter distance in
F1 ,F2 : force applied from
relation to the distance needed if we would transfer the same load in upright direction.
F2 the worker in each case.
N
The steeper the inclined plane, the more force is needed to carry a box.
w : weight of the box.

The “wedge”and the “screw” are in reality different forms of inclined planes.
N : normal force from the
inclined plane to the box.
The steeper the inclined plane the longer its inclined side is. w

The inclined plane is not considered a simple machine.

Exercise 11
Answer the following questions concerning the drawings above (points 3)

Exercise 9 (a) In which case does the worker apply more force in order to move the box? Why?
a) What similarities can you see between the two pictures below? (1 point) The worker applies more force in case 2, because the angle of the inclined plane is steeper than case 1, so he gains less

Both pictures depict examples which work on the mechanical advantage.

principle of the inclined plane. The ramp and the winding

(a) In which case does the box cover a longer distance? Why?
road have mild slopes that offer mechanical advantage.
The box covers a longer distance in case 1, because the angle of the inclined plane is less steep than case 2, so the inclined
This helps us to load boxes on a truck or drive uphill
side is bigger.
much easier in comparison of doing the same tasks
vertically.
(a) In which case do we need more work (energy)? Why?
The Work is the same in both cases. This happens because work is equal to the product of the force (F) times the carrying
b) Mention two more examples that work on the same principle (1 point) distance (S) and as the force gets bigger the distance becomes shorter analogically, so the product stays always the same.
Two examples that work on the principle of the inclined plane are chutes (e.g. channels and river canyons where water
moves downwards) and slides found in playgrounds and waterparks. Visit our online resources to find the solutions of all the activities: www.engino.com/solutions/stem02

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