How do wedges make mechanical work easier?

Learning Objectives. After this lesson, students should be able to: Explain how the inclined plane, wedge and screw make work easier. Identify how the inclined plane, wedge and screw are used in many familiar engineering systems today. read more

Wedges that are long and thin can be driven with less overall force, but they must be moved a greater distance in order to do as much work as a short and thick wedge. Wedges with a curved surface are designed to be moved, while those comprised of a flat inclined plane must remain in place in order to function. read more

If the incline of the wedge is 1 in 10 it should require 1/10 the amount of force to drive the wedge 1cm as it does to raise the object by one cm since the wedge will have to be driven 10cm to raise the load by 1cm. read more

Throughout history, humans have developed several devices to make work easier. The most notable of these are known as the "six simple machines": the wheel and axle, the lever, the inclined plane, the pulley, the screw, and the wedge, although the latter three are actually just extensions or combinations of the first three. read more