Students investigate how the angle of incline affects the effort force. Using a piece of plywood, students work in groups to measure the force of pulling a mass up inclines at shallow and steep angles. Students lift masses using fixed and moveable pulleys. They predict and determine which combination of pulleys requires the most and the least amount of effort force to lift an object. Students find examples of simple machines in everyday life and compare and contrast these with examples of simple machines used in the past.
Students design an invention that uses more than one simple machine.
They demonstrate their scientific skills and processes when they make predictions and record and present experimental results. Skills and processes Students work in pairs and choose a simple machine. Students make a prediction before they follow their procedure. During the experiment, they record data and interpret their results. Then they take a specific situation, such as transporting a person in a wheelchair up a flight of stairs, and provide possible solutions using simple machines.