Context: The man in Figure 16.14 is using a ramp to move a heavy dryer up to the back of a truck. The highway in the figure switches back and forth so it climbs up the steep hillside. Both the ramp and the highway are examples of inclined planes. An inclined plane is a simple machine consisting of a sloping surface that connects lower and higher elevations. The sloping surface of the inclined plane supports part of the weight of the object as it moves up the slope. As a result, it takes less force to move the object uphill. The trade-off is that the object must be moved over a greater distance than if it were moved straight up to the higher elevation. On the other hand, the output force is greater than the input force because it is applied over a shorter distance. Like other simple machines, the ideal mechanical advantage of an inclined plane is given by: Ideal Mechanical Advantage = Input distance Output distance For an inclined plane, the input distance is the length of the sloping surface, and the output distance is the maximum height of the inclined plane. This was illustrated in Figure 16.12. Because the sloping surface is always greater than the height of the inclined plane, the ideal mechanical advantage of an inclined plane is always greater than 1. An inclined plane with a longer sloping surface relative to its height has a gentler slope. An inclined plane with a gentler slope has a greater mechanical advantage and requires less input force to move an object to a higher elevation. Two simple machines that are based on the inclined plane are the wedge and the screw. Both increase the force used to move an object because the input force is applied over a greater distance than the output force. Imagine trying to slice a tomato with a fork or spoon instead of a knife, like the one in Figure 16.15. The knife makes the job a lot easier because of the wedge shape of the blade. A wedge is a simple machine that consists of two inclined planes. But unlike one inclined plane, a wedge works only when it moves. It has a thin end and thick end, and the thin end is forced into an object to cut or split it. The chisel in Figure 16.15 is another example of a wedge. The input force is applied to the thick end of a wedge, and it acts over the length of the wedge. The output force pushes against the object on both sides of the wedge, so the output distance is the thickness of the wedge. Therefore, the ideal mechanical advantage of a wedge can be calculated as: Ideal Mechanical Advantage = Length of wedge Maximum thickness of wedge The length of a wedge is always greater than its maximum thickness. As a result, the ideal mechanical advantage of a wedge is always greater than 1. The spiral staircase in Figure 16.16 also contains an inclined plane. Do you see it? The stairs that wrap around the inside of the walls make up the inclined plane. The spiral staircase is an example of a screw. A screw is a simple machine that consists of an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder or cone. No doubt you are familiar with screws like the wood screw in Figure 16.16. The screw top of the container in the figure is another example. Screws move objects to a higher elevation (or greater depth) by increasing the force applied. When you use a wood screw, you apply force to turn the inclined plane. The output force pushes the screw into the wood. It acts along the length of the cylinder around which the inclined plane is wrapped. Therefore, the ideal mechanical advantage of a screw is calculated as: Ideal Mechanical Advantage = Length of inclined plane Length of screw The length of the inclined plane is always greater than the length of the screw. As a result, the mechanical advantage of a screw is always greater than 1. Look at the collection of screws and bolts in Figure 16.17. In some of them, the turns (or threads) of the inclined plane are closer together. The closer together the threads are, the longer the inclined plane is relative to the length of the screw or bolt, so 
 Question: simple machine consisting of a sloping surface that connects lower and higher elevations
Output: inclined plane