December 19, 2018 [ANISH SCIENCE NOTES : FORCE ,ENERGY & MACHINES]

Simple Machines
At the beginning early man used his hands, feet and teeth to do work with. They lifted and carried
objects with his hand and cut things for food by biting with their teeth. Gradually they searched for
ways to make their work easier.
Among the most useful, simple machines devised by human are levers, the wheel and axle, pulleys,
inclined planes and screws. Simple machines are the most basic of the machines that we use daily to
make work easier.
We use simple to complex machines in our daily routines such as to clean, move, create, repair, relax,
have fun, and accomplish work. All of today’s complicated machines are based on these simple
machines used long ago.
There are six simple machines devised by human – levers, wheel and axle, pulleys, inclined planes,
screws and wedges.
The simple machines require human energy in order to work. A machine makes our work easier
implies that we need less force to do the same amount of work.

What is a machine?
You must have sometime noticed a mechanic replacing a tyre using jack. He uses jack to ease his
work as automobile has to be lifted which he himself alone can’t do. With the use of jack he lifts the
automobile with less effort.

So, Machines are devices, which help us to do a great deal of work with less effort.
Simple machines have few or no moving parts to them. These machines help us to move objects
closer, apart, or to raise them to different levels by increasing the force or changing the direction of
the force.

The Lever
Have you tried to move a big stone?
First try with your hand.
What do you observe?
Rock does not move at all.

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Now try this way, placing a smaller stone near the larger stone and placing a one end of wooden stick
under the larger stone and supported it on the smaller stone, then pressed down on the other end of
the stick.

What do you think happened?

The big stone moves. The stick helped you to lift or move the stone more easily or with less effort.
When a long plank or pole is used to lift a large load, it is called a lever. This type of lever is called
a crowbar.
A lever consists of a rigid bar, which is free to turn about a fixed point called a fulcrum. The fulcrum is
a pivot point. The effort force (push or pull) is exerted upon one lever arm, and the other lever arm
will go up or down in the opposite direction.

The idea of a lever is based on three things – effort or force, distance and balance. The downward
force that the man applies to one end is called the effort. A lever’s balance point is called its fulcrum.
The fulcrum is the part of the machine that does not move.
The force is applied at a different point from the load. The closer the fulcrum to the load, the less
force needed to lift the load.
The closer the fulcrum to the force, the greater the force needed to lift the load. The force will move
a shorter distance, and the load will move a greater distance.

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There are mainly 3 types of levers depending on the position of the fulcrum.
Class – I Lever: The lever has the fulcrum in the middle, between the load and the effort. Classic
example is see saw.
Other first class levers include: a car jack, a pair of pliers, a pair of scissors, a water pump, a balance
or pair of weigh scales, a crowbar, a claw of a hammer taking out a nail, or a lever with a rock as its
fulcrum trying to lift another rock.

Class – II Lever: The lever has the load in the middle, between the effort and the fulcrum. In the
second class lever, the fulcrum is usually closer to the load, which reduces the force needed to
accomplish the work.
Example: wheelbarrow. The axle of the wheel acts as the fulcrum, the handles are the force arm, and
the load is carried between the two in the bucket part of the wheel barrow.
Other second class levers include: a pair of nutcrackers, and a bottle opener.

Class – III Lever: The lever has the effort in the middle, between the load and the fulcrum. This
arrangement requires large force is to move the load. But this arrangement facilitates movement of
the load over a long distance with a relatively small movement of the force arm.
Examples of third class levers are: a fishing pole, a pair of tweezers, an arm lifting a weight, a pair of
calipers, a person using a broom, a hockey stick, a tennis racket, a spade, or a shovel.

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Wheel And Axle

Try to turn a doorknob without the knob. Do you find it hard to turn? Try it with the knob attached. Is
it easier?

No one knows when the wheel was invented but it is the one of the most important invention of
human beings. We cannot even imagine our lives without any vehicles and all other wonderful
machines around us.
Wheel as such is not a machine by itself but becomes a machine when a rod called an axle is attached
to it. Together, the wheel and the axle make a simple machine. We can see such an arrangement in
cars, sewing machines, egg beaters, bicycles, the potter’s wheel etc.

Other examples are a water wheel, a windmill, gears, doorknobs, faucet handles, and steering
wheels.

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Interesting fact: The wheel and axle is a first class lever in which the fulcrum has been replaced by an
axle and the arms have been repeated around the axle to make up the spokes or disk of the wheel.
This allows the lever to rotate through 360º instead of the limited rotation in the see - saw
application. The larger the wheel, the more mechanical advantage we have.

Pulley
A pulley is wheel that has a grooved track for the rope, belt or chain to move through it. A pulley is a
circular lever, with the wheel rotating freely on the axle. A fixed pulley is fixed firmly attached to one
spot, and does not move around. It does not cause change in force, distance or speed, but it changes
the direction of the force.

A fixed pulley acts as a first class lever. The fulcrum is the axle (the point at which the pulley is
supported). In a pulley, an effort is applied in one direction and a load moves in another
direction. The force arm is the radius of the pulley - that is, the distance from the fulcrum (axle) to
the side of the rope on which we pull. The load arm is also the radius of the pulley - the distance from
the fulcrum (axle) to the load-carrying side of the rope.
Examples of fixed pulleys can be seen on flag poles, drapes, or on a sail mast. A pulley is used to pull
up water from the wells by pulling the rope down. At the top of most sailboats there is a single fixed
pulley for raising and lowering a sail. A flag is raised on a flag pole with a pulley
A movable pulley moves along a rope or wire. It causes increase in force. A movable pulley works like
a turning second class lever. The fulcrum is at one rim of the pulley wheel, the load is at the axle, and
the force is at the other rim of the pulley wheel.
Pulleys make lifting easier because more sections of rope are supporting the weight. It is much easier
to pull down than to pull up a load, as our own body weight and gravity help us to pull down. Thus, a
pulley is used extensively to do twice as much work with the same effort.

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Inclined Plane
The word "inclined" means "at an angle". The word "plane" means "a flat surface". Aninclined
plane is a slope or a ramp. Examples : a ramp used by a workman to push a heavy load on wheels up
into a truck, ramps for wheel chairs, ramps to load luggage onto a plane, an escalator, slope such as
the side of a hill, which is a natural inclined plane. Though, roads in the hills make longer distances,
but are easier than climbing straight up!
Have you ever observed workers loading heavy objects in a truck?

An inclined plane helps a person to move or raise heavy objects. An inclined plane enables a load to
be lifted with less force, but the distance over which it moves is greater. If ramp is longer, person will
need less force to move the object up the ramp compared to shorter ramp.

Wedge
A double wedge is made up of two inclined planes back to back. Example: double wedge on an axe
blade. Single wedges resemble an inclined plane, because they have only one sloping surface. A
doorstop is a single wedge.

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Other examples are a chisel, cutting tools, an axe (also a lever), a can opener (also a lever), plow
blade, and the bow of a boat or ship.

Screw
A screw is yet another simple machine, which is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder. The
inclined plane forms ridges in a spiral along the cylinder. These ridges are called the threads of the
screw. The distance between the threads is called "the pitch" of the screw.

Screw is inserted into a piece of wood using a screwdriver. It is difficult to pull out a screw out of a
piece of wood compared to a nail. This is because a screw is really an inclined plane that goes round
and round. Thus, it holds things together, through a longer distance with a stronger grip.
We use screws to do many jobs. Bolts are used to put together many small parts of complex
machines, revolving stools, bases of most light bulbs. Even your pen caps have screws.

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Work, Force and Energy

IMPORTANT TERMS
Force : - A push or a pull acting on an object.
GRAVITY: - The force that attracts objects towards the centre of the earth is called gravity.
Friction :-The force that tries to stop the sliding movement of objects across a surface.
Energy :- The ability to do work.
Gravity :-The force that pulls everything towards the centre of the Earth.
Magnetism :-The pull or push applied by a magnet on metals like iron and nickel.
Machine :- A tool that makes our work simpler and quicker. A machine is a tool that makes our
work easier by helping us overcome a larger force (called load) by applying lesser force (effort).
Simple Machine :- Uses a single applied force (effort) to overcome a single force (load).
Complex Machine :- Consists of two or more simple machines working together.
Fulcrum:-A fixed point around which the rod moves.
Load: - It is the object on which work is to be performed.
Effort: - It is the force that needs to be applied on the rod in order to perform a task.
FORCE
 Force is required to change the status of an object.
 It can be used to move a stationary object but also used to stop a moving object.
 We cannot see force but we can see its effects.
There are four different types of forces:-
Electrostatic Force: - It is a kind of force that pulls lighter objects towards itself once it is charged e.g.
pieces of paper attracted towards a charged comb.
Frictional Force: - It is a kind of force, which tries to stop the movement of objects across a surface
e.g. walking on the ground.
Gravitational Force: - It is kind of force that pulls everything towards the centre of the Earth e.g. a
ball thrown up comes down due to gravity.
Magnetic force: - Push or pull applied by a magnet on metals like iron and nickel. e.g. game of
dartboard.
ADVANTAGES OF FRICTION

 Friction between our feet and the ground makes it possible for us to walk. Friction helps us to
apply force in backward direction and move our body forward.

 The friction between the tyres of vehicles and the road makes them roll forward. Thus,
friction makes movement of vehicles possible.

 Writing with a pencil or a pen requires friction. We cannot hold a pencil without friction.
Friction between the pencil and the paper makes it possible for a person to write. It also helps
to erase pencil marks using an eraser.

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DISADVANTAGES OF FRICTION

 Friction makes it hard to slide heavy objects such as a heavy piece of furniture across the
floor.

 Friction causes damage to machine parts. Machines can get damaged if the friction is too
strong. To reduce the damage, machine parts are oiled. Oiling causes slippery surface due to
which the friction between various parts is reduced. This in turn causes lesser rubbing of parts
against each other and lesser generation of heat thereby minimising the damage.

 It is difficult to walk on a wet floor because layer of water makes the floor smooth. The
coating of water reduces the friction and the foot cannot make a proper grip on the floor,
making it slippery.

ENERGY
The ability to do work is called energy. There are many forms of energy.

 Heat Energy: -It is a type of energy that is generated by burning of fuels like coal, LPG etc. We
use this energy to cook food.
 Light Energy: - It is a type of energy which is used to see things around us. Tube light, lamp,
bulb are some sources of light energy.
 Sound Energy: - It is a type of energy produced by many objects such as musical instruments
and loud speakers.
 Wind Energy: - Power of the moving wind is utilized with the help of windmills to generate
electrical energy.
 Mechanical Energy: - It is an energy that an object has due to its position or its movement.

 Electrical Energy: - It is generated at power stations and supplied to our homes. All the
electrical appliances like television, computer and radio run with the use of electrical energy.

MACHINE
Machine may be a simple machine or a complex machine:
Simple machine: - A simple machine uses a single applied force to overcome a single force. There
are six types of simple machine:
Types of
Name of Machine Mechanism Examples
machine
A rigid rod that can move First class
E-F-L Scissor and See Saw
freely around a fixed lever
Lever point.
Second class Nut Cracker and Wheel
E-L-F
lever Barrow

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A sequence of load,
fulcrum and effort

Third class
Class of a lever depends lever L-E-F Fishing rod and Stapler
on relative positions of
load, fulcrum and effort

An inclined plane spirally

wrapped around a
Screw cylinder. Screw in a door lock

An axe, a razor, a knife

Wedge Has two inclined planes

Sewing machine,
Wheel and Large wheel connected Steering of car
Axle to a small rod (axle).

One end higher than the

Inclined other; kind of slope Ramps in hospitals
Plane

In a fixed pulley, axle is

fixed to some kind of Lift a bucket of water
Wheel with grooved rim Fixed Pulley support like a hook or a from well
for a rope or a chain to wall.
Pulley move.
Movable
pulley The axle is not fixed to
A Crane machine
any kind of support.

Complex machine: - A complex machine consists of two or more simple machines working together
e.g. a car, an elevator.
INTERESTING FACTS

 Ancient Egyptians are known to be perhaps the first ones to use the principle of inclined
planes when they used it to transport huge stones to build temples.

 Isaac Newton was the first scientist to propose the idea of gravity. An apple falling from a tree
triggered his theory of gravitation.

 The lever is one of the basic tools. The lever has been used by man for thousands of years;
probably in prehistoric times.

Levers were first described by the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes (287-212 BC).

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Q&A:

Q1. What is force? What are its different types?

A1. A push or pull is called force.

 The different types of forces are

 muscular force,
 mechanical force,
 elastic force,
 gravitational force,
 frictional force,
 magnetic force and
 electrostatic force.

Q2. What is energy and what are the various forms of energy?

A2. Energy is the ability to do work.

The various forms of energy are

 light ,
 heat,
 sound,
 electrical,
 mechanical,
 solar wind and
 hydro energy.

Q3.Question: List the four effects that force have on objects.

Answer: The four effects that force have on objects are:

1. A force can make a stationary object move or make a moving object move faster.
2. A force can make a moving object stop or slow down.
3. a force can change the direction in which an object is moving.
4. A force can change the shape of an object.
5. A force can change the speed of a moving object.
6. A force can change the shape of an object.
7. A force can change the direction in which an object is moving.
8. A force can change the size of an object.

Q4. What is gravitational force?

A4. The Earth pulls all objects towards itself with a force known as gravitational force. It is due to
gravitational force that all objects fall back on Earth's surface and not float or fly away.
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Q5. Question: What is gravity?

Answer: The force that attracts objects towards the center of the earth is called gravity.

Q6. Question: What is magnetism?

Answer: The push or pull applied by a magnet on metals like iron and nickel and on other magnets
is called magnetism.

Q7. Question: What is friction? Why is friction necessary?

Answer: The force that tries to stop the sliding movement of objects across a surface is called
friction. Friction is necessary because friction between or feet and ground makes it possible for us
to walk.

Q8. What is the use of frictional force in our life? Give an example.

A8. The force that opposes motion in objects is known as frictional force. The friction between
two objects is necessary to maintain things in motion.

Eg. friction between paper and pen enables us to write

Q9. Why is it important to oil the machine parts?

A9. Friction generates heat. Heat produced due to friction causes damage to machine parts like car
brakes. Therefore, it is important to oil the machine parts.

Q10. List any two advantages and two disadvantages of friction.

Ans) ADVANTAGES:

1) Friction between the feet and the ground stops us from slipping. Thus, making it possible for us
to walk.

2) The friction between the tyres of vehicles and the road makes them roll forward. Thus, making
movement of vehicles possible.

DISADVANTAGES:

1) Friction makes it hard to slide heavy objects such as heavy pieces of furniture or a large
concrete block across the floor.

2) Heat produced due to friction causes damage to machine parts such as car brakes.

Q11. What is mechanical energy? What are its types?

A11. The energy possessed by an object due to its motion or position is called mechanical energy.

The mechanical energy possessed by an object when it is in motion is called as kinetic energy.
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The mechanical energy possessed by object when it is at a position is called potential energy.

Q12. What are the uses of hydro energy?

A12. The energy obtained from water is known as hydro energy.

 It is used in water mills to grind grains by moving a paddle wheel with the help of running
water.

 It is used to generate electricity by turning turbines with the help of flowing water.

Q13. Question: What is a machine?

Answer: A machine is a tool that makes our work easier by helping us overcome a larger force
(load) by applying lesser force (effort).

Q14. Question: Name the six types of simple machines.

Answer: The six types of simple machines are:

1. Lever
2. Pulley
3. Wheel and axle
4. Wedge
5. Screw
6. Inclined plane

Q15. What is a machine?

A15. The devices that make our work easier and faster are called machines. A machine can be
defined as a tool that makes our work easier by helping us overcome a large force (load) by
applying lesser force (effort).

Some machines with very few parts are called simple machines and those which has parts arranged
in a complex way are called complex machines.

Q16.. Explain a lever and its three types .Give examples of the types of lever.

A16. A lever is a simple machine that has a long rigid rod which is pushed or pulled against a pivot
in order to move or lift something. A lever is a rigid rod arranged in such a manner that it can move
freely around a fixed point. It consists of fulcrum, load and effort.

A lever has three parts:

a) The load (object) that needs to be moved or lifted
b) The effort (push or pull) that is needed to move or lift the load.
c) The fulcrum (pivot point) is the fixed point about which the rod moves.

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Lever can be classified into three types, depending on the position of the load, fulcrum, and effort.
The three types of lever are :

1. First Class Lever (L-F-E):- In this type of lever, the fulcrum is between the load and the effort. A
lever in which fulcrum is located between the load and effort is called first-class lever.
Eg. Seesaw, Pliers, Hammer, scissors, bean balance, crow bar, etc.

2. Second Class Lever (F-L-E) :– The type of lever in which the load lies between the fulcrum and the
effort is called a second-class lever. A lever in which load lies between the fulcrum and the effort is
called second- class lever.

EX: Wheel barrow, Nut cracker, bottle opener , Pram Etc.

3. Third Class Lever ( F-E-l):– In this type of lever,the effort is between the fulcrum and the load. A
lever in which the effort is located between the fulcrum and load is called third- class lever. EX:
Tongs, Tweezers, fishing rod Etc.

Eg. Fishing rod, tweezers, tongs

Q17. What is a pulley? What are its different types? Give examples.

Ans) PULLEY:-A pulley is a simple machine consisting of a rope or chain moving over a grooved rim
of a wheel. So, a pulley is a wheel with a groove around its rim through which a rope or chain can
be hanged.

A pulley can be of two types:

(a) FIXED PULLEY: Fixed pulley has a wheel attached to a hook or a wall and spins at one fixed
place.

 In a fixed pulley, the axle is fixed to some support like a hook or a wall.

 This type of a pulley changes the direction of the force and makes work easier.

 It changes the direction of force, makes lifting convenient but does not reduce our effort.

 Eg. Drawing water from a well is done by using a fixed pulley ( To lift a bucket of water from
well ) , To raise a flag to the top of a flagpole.

(b) MOVABLE PULLEY: In a movable pulley, the wheel also moves with the load.

 In a movable pulley, the axle in not fixed to any kind of support.

 It is free and movable.

 Here the effort done is reduced to half but the length of the rope used is more.

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 This type of pulley helps to lift heavy loads with less effort.

 It is usually used in combination with a fixed pulley.


Ex: Crane uses both fixed and movable pulleys to lift heavy loads. The pulley present in
cranes to lift heavy objects and load it in vehicles is a movable pulley.

Q18. What is a wheel and axle arrangement? Give examples of a wheel-axle arrangement. ( What
is a wheel and axle? Give examples. )

Ans) A Wheel and axle is a simple machine in which a wheel is rigidly attached to a rod called axle.
When one rotates the wheel, the axle also rotates.
Ex: steering wheel, bicycle pedal, screw driver, door knob etc.

Q19. II Differentiate between:

a) Magnetic force
This force exerted by a magnet on a magnetic material like iron is called as magnetic force.
Eg. a magnet attracting a screw made of iron .

Mechanical force
The force that is applied by a machine is called as mechanical force.
Eg. An engine of a train exerts mechanical force to pull coaches

b) Inclined plane
An inclined plane is a slope that helps to move heavy loads with less effort
Eg. ramps found in hospitals,roads in hilly regions

Screw
Screw is an inclined plane that is wrapped around a cylinder spirally. It is used to hold things
together
Eg. Screw on a wall to hang objects

HOTS :

Q1). Why do wheels on skates not have grooves but soles of shoes have grooves on them?

Grooves are provided on shoes to create more friction when we walk on different surfaces or else
we may slip and fall but in skates , friction require is very little as the wheels have to rotate very
fast while skating to provide more speed. So wheels of skates do not have grooves but have a
rubberized surface to create the sufficient friction required by the person.

Q2). It is difficult to walk on wet floor. Why?

Ans) Friction between our feet and the ground makes it possible to walk. It is difficult to walk on
wet floor because in produces less friction. Hence, it makes the floor slippery.

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Q3). When you play with the magnetic dart board, how does the dart stick to the dart board?

Ans) The dart contains a magnet and the board is made of a metal such as iron. The magnet exerts
a force on iron and stick to it. This type of force is called magnetic force.
Mind map - Types of simple machines
Diagrams - Interleaf pg#2 Types of Lever with 1 example each (Refer TB pg#149 onwards)

Force and energy:

Q1. What is force? Mention the effects of force.

Q2. What will be the effect of force on:
i. A stationary object?
ii. A moving object?
Q3. Enlist the types of forces that exist in nature. Differentiate between
Gravitational force and Frictional force.
Q4. Identify the type of force in the following cases:
i. The force with which all objects in the universe attract each other.
ii. The attractive or repulsive force that acts due to the presence of ‘charges’.
Q5. What is friction? Mention a few characteristics of frictional force.
Q6. State two advantages and two disadvantages of friction.
Q7. How do magnets apply force on each other?
Q8. What is energy? Enlist the different forms of energy.
Q9. What is mechanical energy? Classify it. Give examples for each type. What is
the difference between them?
Q10. Identify the form of energy: i) that helps us to see things around us
ii) that can be easily converted to other forms of energy
iii) that is produced by vibration of objects
iv) that an object has due to its motion.
v) that an object has due to its position with respect to the ground.
Q11. What are machines? Differentiate between: i)simple machines and complex
machines ii) screw and wedge
Q12. What is Lever? What are the parts of a lever? Name the types of lever. Cite
examples for each
type. Draw labelled diagrams to show how each type of lever works. Differentiate
between i)scissors
and tweezers, ii) scissors and a stapler, iii) crowbar and wheelbarrow, iv) bottle
opener and a pair of tongs
Q13. How does a wheel and axle work?
Q14. What are the differences between fixed pulley and movable pulley?
Q15. How are a screw, a wedge and an inclined plane interrelated? Cite examples
for each.

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