Bill Nye - Simple Machines worksheet with educational questions for students.

Here are the answers to fill in the blanks on your worksheet about Simple Machines.

1. force
*(Simple machines help us by changing how much force we need or which way we push/pull.)*

2. Simple machine
*(This is the general name for tools like levers and pulleys that make work easier.)*

3. fulcrum
*(The fulcrum is the pivot point or the spot where a lever rests and turns.)*

4. inclined plane
*(A ramp is just another name for an inclined plane.)*

5. Lever, Pulley, Wheel and Axle, Inclined Plane, Wedge, Screw
*(These are the six classic types of simple machines.)*

6. wheel and axle
*(This machine has a wheel attached to a rod so they spin together.)*

7. Gears
*(Gears are wheels with teeth that lock together to move things.)*

8. Ramp (or Inclined Plane)
*(A ramp lets you lift something heavy by pushing it up a slope instead of lifting it straight up.)*

9. wedge
*(Stairways act like a wedge because they cut into the height to make climbing easier step-by-step.)*

10. screw
*(If you wrap an inclined plane around a pole, you get a screw.)*

11. lever
*(A seesaw is a perfect example of a lever with a fulcrum in the middle.)*

12. pitch
*(Pitch is the distance between the spiral threads on a screw.)*

13. lever
*(Your arm acts like a lever when you pick things up.)*

14. pulley
*(Cranes use pulleys to lift very heavy loads high into the air.)*

15. work
*(Pulleys let you use less force, but you have to pull the rope a longer distance.)*

16. cable cars
*(San Francisco is famous for its historic cable cars.)*

17. pulleys
*(Sailboats use systems of pulleys called block and tackle to raise the heavy sails.)*