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From: Terminal Velocity Mission 4: Make it Work (pp: 125)
Complex Machines

In this lab, students explore an assortment of machines, identifying the simple machines and how they work together to form a complex machine.
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Work 

Flip on a switch. Turn a door knob. Open a can. Like many of your everyday actions, these processes involve some sort of simple or complex machines. There is no getting around them. Life without the manufactured devices that offer all sorts of mechanical assists, would be unthinkable.

In this activity, you will be challenged to explore an assortment of machines. You will apply critical thinking skills and hands-on inquiry as you move from station to station. Progressing through the series of stations, you will construct a richer understanding of machines and their properties.

Materials
  • materials provided by instructor

Lab Prep
  1. When you enter the laboratory, do not touch any of the stations. Wait for instructions from your instructor before beginning the lab.
  2. With your instructor, review all appropriate laboratory procedures, safety guidelines, and classroom rules.
  3. Review the objectives and any procedures that are established for each station.
  4. Review the order in which you will move from station to station.

Make Observations
  1. After your instructor has presented the lab prep, a signal will be given to begin work at your first station. Remember that you only have a limited time to work at each station and answer questions.
  2. Use the tools and materials that are available at that station to perform the suggested investigations.
  3. At each station, sketch the machine you see. Then identify many of the simple machines utilized to create this complex machine. Label them on your sketch.

Reflect and Apply

    Answer the following questions at each station.

  1. Based on your observations, is the machine simple or complex?
  2. How do the various simple machines work together to help the complex machine to function?
  3. What purpose does the machine serve? Does it increase force? Distance? Change direction?

Extension
lab

Gather some old machines, such as mechanical toys, old phones, vacuum cleaners, and so forth, and a variety of tools. Take the machines apart piece by piece, observing how each piece fits with the others. Identify as many simple machines as you can within the complex machine.


Journal Question

Journal Question
Describe a situation where a job was easier because of simple or complex machines.

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