IRISGARRITASUNA- simple machines in the ancient Egypt

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simple machines in the ancient Egypt

B1 ibilbidea © 2025 by Leire Yeregui is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

SUMMARY

Simple machines are devices with few or no moving parts that make work easier, and which people have used to provide mechanical advantage for thousands of years and are still important today. Simple machines used by ancient engineers to build pyramids are exploited by today's engineers to construct modern structures such as houses, bridges and skyscrapers. We are introducing six types of simple machines — the wedge, wheel and axle, lever, inclined plane, screw, and pulley — in the context of the construction of a pyramid, gaining high-level insights into tools that have been used since ancient times and are still in use today.

Warm up

How did Egyptians build the Great Pyramids thousand of years ago (~2,500 BCE)?

Brainstorming

1.-Could you build a pyramid using 9,000-kilogram (~10-ton or 20,000-lb) blocks of stone with your bare hands?

It

That's like trying to move a large elephant with your bare hands!

2.-How many people might it take to move a block that big? It would still be a challenge to build a pyramid today even with modern tools, such as jackhammers, cranes, trucks and bulldozers. 3.-But without these modern tools, how did Egyptian workers cut, shape, transport and place enormous stones? Well, one key to accomplishing this amazing and difficult task was the use of simple machines.

simple machines

lever

Inclined plane

screw

wheel and axle

Wedges

pulley

Why do engineers care about simple machines? How do such devices help engineers improve society? Simple machines are important and common in our world today in the form of everyday devices (crowbars, wheelbarrows, highway ramps, etc.) that individuals, and especially engineers, use on a daily basis. The same physical principles and mechanical advantages of simple machines used by ancient engineers to build pyramids are employed by today's engineers to construct modern structures such as houses, bridges and skyscrapers. Simple machines give engineers added tools for solving everyday challenges.

Engineering Connectione

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Pulley

A pulley is a simple machine used to change the direction of a force. Think of raising a flag or lifting a heavy stone. To lift a stone up into its place on a pyramid, one would have to exert a force that pulls it up. By using a pulley made from a grooved wheel and rope, one can pull down on the rope, capitalizing on the force of gravity, to lift the stone up. Even more valuable, a system of several pulleys can be used together to reduce the force needed to lift an object. Everyday examples of pulleys in use include flag poles, elevators, sails, fishing nets (see Figure 4), clothes lines, cranes, window shades and blinds, and rock climbing gear.

The wheel and axle

The wheel and axle is a simple machine that reduces the friction involved in moving an object, making the object easier to transport. When an object is pushed, the force of friction must be overcome to start it moving. Once the object is moving, the force of friction opposes the force exerted on the object. The wheel and axle makes this easier by reducing the friction involved in moving an object. The wheel rotates around an axle (essentially a rod that goes through the wheel, letting the wheel turn), rolling over the surface and minimizing friction. Imagine trying to push a 9,000-kilogram (~10-ton) block of stone. Wouldn't it be easier to roll it along using logs placed underneath the stone? Everyday examples of the wheel and axle include a car, bicycle, office chair, wheel barrow, shopping cart, hand truck and roller skates.

Lever

A lever simple machine consists of a load, a fulcrum and effort (or force). The load is the object that is moved or lifted. The fulcrum is the pivot point, and the effort is the force required to lift or move the load. By exerting a force on one end of the lever (the applied force), a force at the other end of the lever is created. The applied force is either increased or decreased, depending on the distance from the fulcrum (the point or support on which a lever pivots) to the load, and from the fulcrum to the effort.Everyday examples of levers include a teeter-totter or see-saw, crane arm, crow bar, hammer (using the claw end), fishing pole and bottle opener.

Inclined plane

Inclined planes make it easier to lift something. Think of a ramp. Engineers use ramps to easily move objects to a greater height. There are two ways to raise an object: by lifting it straight up, or by pushing it diagonally up. Lifting an object straight up moves it over the shortest distance, but you must exert a greater force. On the other hand, using an inclined plane requires a smaller force, but you must exert it over a longer distance. Everyday examples of inclined planes include highway access ramps, sidewalk ramps, stairs, inclined conveyor belts, and switchback roads or trails.

Screw

A screw is essentially an inclined plane wrapped around a shaft. Screws have two primary functions: they hold things together, or they lift objects. A screw is good for holding things together because of the threading around the shaft. The threads grip the surrounding material like teeth, resulting in a secure hold; the only way to remove a screw is to unwind it. A car jack is an example of a screw being used to lift something Everyday examples of screws include a screw, bolt, clamp, jar lid, car jack, spinning stool and spiral staircase.

WEDGE

The wedge is a simple machine that forces objects or substances apart by applying force to a large surface area on the wedge, with that force magnified to a smaller area on the wedge to do the actual work.. Everyday examples of wedges include an axe , nail, doorstop, chisel, saw, jackhammer, zipper, bulldozer, snow plow, horse plow, zipper, airplane wing, knife, fork and bow of a boat or ship.