Results

The amount of effort saved when using machines is called mechanical advantage (MA). Simple machines use mechanical advantage as a key property to their functionality, helping humans perform tasks that would require more force than a person could produce. We will use the lever as an example of a simple machine to illustrate the concept of mechanical advantage.

When electromagnetic radiation is absorbed by a material the energy it carries has to go somewhere. When lower energy waves, like radio and infrared waves, are absorbed there can be an increase in temperature of the absorbing material. Higher energy waves, like x-ray and gamma waves, can actually permanently damage or change materials. Learn about the different types of electromagnetic waves and how their energies can influence their effects on objects.

In this unit we will learn how these factors can affect the output of a simple machine. We will also learn about the difference between ideal mechanical advantage (IMA) and actual mechanical advantage (AMA), and how to apply your knowledge to calculate the efficiency of various simple machines.

What are simple machines? Simple machines are tools that make work easier. They have few or no moving parts. These machines use energy to do work with one movement. They make our work easier by letting us use less mechanical effort to move an object.

In this lesson you will learn about:

• Simple machines
• Be able to identify different kinds of machines
• Identify classes of levers and pulleys
• Determine mechanical advantage of a lever and pulleys
• Understand and determine the advantage of an inclined plane
• Describe and determine the advantage of a screw jack
• Describe and determine the advantage of a wheel and axel
• Describe and determine the advantage of a hydraulic press

This YouTube video investigates the structure and composition of the sun.

These four short online lessons cover the following:

• What is the sun?
• Interior of the sun
• Outer layers of the sun
• Surface features of the sun

This online resource investigates the internal structure, outer layers and surface features of the sun.

An explanation of wave interference and solution of a few examples to find the value of the total wave when two wave pulses overlap

The wavelength and frequency of a wave are related to one another by the speed of travel of the wave, which depends on the type of wave and the medium through which it is passing.