Axe,knife,chisel,saw etc. are examples of wedge.while a bottle lid,wood screw ,nut and bolt are examples of screw.
Wedges and screws are two of the six types of simple machines, and they are used in many different areas of our lives. In this lesson, learn about the similarities and differences between wedges and screws, and some examples of them that are commonly encountered.
Simple Machines
What do a potato peeler, a jack for a car, and a door stop all have in common? They're all variations of the inclined plane, one of the six simple machines. Now, when we say simple machine, we're not talking about a blender, or a lawnmower, though each of these complex machines depends on simple machines. We're talking about physics' simple machines that get work done in the world. In this lesson, we'll focus on wedges and screws, but first, a brief bit of information about simple machines.
So what is a simple machine? Well, that's simple! (Pun intended.) It is a tool that changes either the direction or magnitude of a force. This idea is called mechanical advantage. Scientists back in the day (the Renaissance day, to be exact) commonly described six different types of simple machines, the classification scheme that is still used today. These six machine groups are levers, pulleys, wheel and axles, inclined planes, wedges, and screws. We'll get into the last three of these in a minute.
But first, to illustrate what 'changing the direction or magnitude of a force' means, let's think about a simple lever. There's no way a 50-pound child could lift his 200-pound dad, right? Wrong. They could use a lever, like a see saw. This particular lever can take the force of a child's weight, and increase its magnitude enough to lift the force of a much heavier object. It also changes the direction of the child's force, from down to up. The thing to remember is that machines help us be more efficient with the energy we put towards a task.
The Inclined Plane
You've got to get a 200-kg block of ice up to a 4-foot ledge. Would it be easier to lift it straight up to the ledge from the ground, or use a ramp? Most of the sane among us would use a ramp. Physics-wise, how does the ramp help? There is a certain amount of work, or force applied over a distance, that needs to be done to get that big block of ice up to the ledge. The ramp is an example of an inclined plane, a straight edge at an angle less than 90 degrees, which decreases the amount of force necessary to move the block of ice up to a certain place by spreading the required force out over the length of the ramp. The longer the ramp, the less the force required. For example, it's harder to move something up a short 45-degree ramp than it is a long 10-degree ramp. Inclined planes generally don't move when providing their mechanical advantage. When an inclined plane is in motion, they're usually either wedges or screws.