A simple machine is exactly what it sounds like: one of the "simplest" possible tools that can be used to increase force.
There are six basic types of simple machines, starting with the inclined plane.
An inclined plane can be pretty much any object — a ramp, a slide, or even just a block of wood — as long as it consists of a sloping surface.
Helpful when you're trying to lift heavy objects, the inclined plane offers a mechanical advantage: the force required to move an object up the incline is less than the weight being lifted.
The steeper the plane's incline, the closer the necessary force gets to the object's actual weight.
The lever is a bar or board that rests on a tipping point called a fulcrum.
Teeter-totters, salad tongs, and bottle openers are all levers, meaning that a downward force exerted on one end can be transferred and increased in an upward direction at the other end, allowing a small force to lift a heavy weight.
The wedge is a simple machine that's been used since prehistoric times.
It's any object tapered to a thin edge, like an ax or the teeth on a saw.
Pushing a wedge in one direction creates a force in a sideways direction.
