Dirtmeister's Home


Dirtmeister's Science ReportersSimple Machines
Inclined Plane | Wedge | Screw | Lever | Wheel and Axle | Pulley Back to Step 1

Screw The Screw
The screw is really an inclined plane in the round with a wedge at the tip. Think of a typical screw. The wedge is the pointed end. The inclined plane is the thread that wraps around the screw. Screws are used in many different places to hold things together.

Basically, a screw is like the ramp — and the width of the thread is like the angle of an inclined plane. The wider the thread of a screw, the harder it is to turn it. And here's the trade-off: If you've ever had to put in a screw with really narrow threads, you've probably found that you have to turn it a really long time to get it to go anywhere. Just like in a ramp, the easier the effort, the longer the distance you have to move something!


Dirtmeister's Home | Simple Machines | Teacher's Guide | Science Observer