Mechanical Comprehension Simple Machines Flash Card Set 595040

Card 1 of 10
Wheel and Axle

A wheel and axle uses two different diameter wheels mounted to a connecting axle. Force is applied to the larger wheel and large movements of this wheel result in small movements in the smaller wheel. Because a larger movement distance is being translated to a smaller distance, force is increased with a mechanical advantage equal to the ratio of the diameters of the wheels. An example of a wheel and axle is the steering wheel of a car.

wheel and axle

An example of a __________ is the steering wheel of a car.