Inclined Plane and Wedge
An inclined plane is a flat surface that is higher on one end than on the other.
It helps you move something from one place to another.
Another name for an inclined plane is a ramp.
It helps you move something from one place to another.
Another name for an inclined plane is a ramp.
In the picture below, a dog walks up an inclined plane to get into the back of a van.
How else can an inclined plane be useful?
How else can an inclined plane be useful?
A wedge is a pair of inclined planes attached back to back.
They have a sharp edge that can be used to spread or cut things apart.
The narrower the wedge (or the sharper the point) the easier it is to spilt things apart.
In the picture below, an ax is used to chop wood. The blade of the ax is a wedge.
Can you think of any other examples of wedges?
Can you think of any other examples of wedges?
On a piece of paper in your binder, see if you can answer these questions:
1. What is an inclined plane? Draw a picture of what it looks like.
2. What is a wedge? Draw a picture of what it looks like
3. Write down an example of each of these simple machines that was not shown here.