Project 2 — Construct simple machines

Last updated at September 16, 2026 by

  • Construct one or more simple machines, or a combination of them (lever, pulley, and inclined plane) using easily available materials — cardboard, wooden strips or rulers, pencils or bolts (to act as a fulcrum), thread or rope, small pulleys (or two bottle caps stuck together), and paper cups to hold small weights.
  • Use your model to lift or move a small load, measure the effort and the load, and calculate the mechanical advantage.
  • GIF Watch: building a lever, a pulley and an inclined plane Animation for the construct-simple-machines project. A short looping GIF, three or four beats, drawn in the flat classroom style of the chapter. Beat 1 — A full person builds three models on a table from cardboard, rulers, a pencil fulcrum, thread and bottle-cap pulleys. Beat 2 — Lever model lifts a load in a paper cup, labels Effort, Load and MA = Effort arm / Load arm. Beat 3 — Fixed pulley model raises a cup, label MA = 1, pull down to lift up. Beat 4 — Inclined plane model with a cart pulled up a ramp, label MA = L / h. Label every arrow and quantity, keep every label inside the frame, and hold the last frame for a moment before the loop starts again.
  • What to expect
    • Lever — MA = Effort arm / Load arm. Move the fulcrum closer to the load and watch the effort needed drop.
    • Pulley (fixed) — MA = 1, but pulling down feels easier.
    • Inclined plane — MA = L/h. A longer ramp needs less effort.
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