Simple Machines
WebQuest
by
Jane Catlin
John Walsh
The Task
In this WebQuest you will learn definitions and to identify examples of simple machines. You will then be able to investigate various compound and complex machines and locate examples of each simple machine defined. This information will enable you to create a new compound machine to solve a problem.
Resources
Motion Energy and
Simple Machines
Professor Beaker's
Learning Labs
The Process
1. You and a partner will locate definitions of a screw, inclined plane, lever, pulley, and wheel and axle. Write these definitions on a separate sheet of paper.
2. Have you ever wondered how simple machines make life much easier? Your job now is to locate living examples of each simple machine. Import a picture of each machine into a program such as KidPix or The Writing Center. Type your own caption under each illustration to depict how each machine is making life easier for people.
3. Do you know any inventors who used simple machines to help make our lives easier? Once you have located and inventor who has done this, think of ways the simple machine helped make the invention successful. Write a good paragraph giving information about the invention. For extra credit, include a paragraph about the inventor.
4. Now it's your turn to be an inventor! Using Kid Pix create a drawing of a brand new contraption using at least two simple machines. Label the simple machines. What problem does this machine solve in your life?
The Learning Advice
Complete the definitions of the terms below on a separate sheet of paper.
Wheel and axle
Pulley
Lever
Screw
Inclined plane
While thinking about your new invention, consider the following questions about simple machines:
Conclusion
In this WebQuest you have learned definitions for five simple machines and how they work together to make other compound machines. You have investigated actual inventions and inventors that helped solve problems. Best of all you have thought of a new way to make your life easier by creating a new machine.
Consider the following questions about simple machines:
How do you think early man developed the pulley?
What makes the screw like a wheel and axle and a lever?
Is there a machine which requires all of the simple machines studied in this webquest?
Created July 1997
Last Updated December 2004, by Trisha
Armstrong