How to Understand How Machines Work

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Start simple.

   Many everyday objects are simple machines.
   
   Take a good look, if you haven't lately, at how a retractable ball-point pen extends and then retracts when you push and release the button.
   
   Here are some other familiar objects to examine:
   A system of levers.
   
   Stapler Another system of levers.
   
   Nail clippers A simple pump.
   
   Save one the next time you run out.
   
   Trigger spray bottle Tape measure The old kind.
   
   Eggbeater The kind of clasp on jars like these.
   
   Draw clasp
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   Step 2: Move on to devices with increasing complexity.

   Faucets, toilets, vacuum cleaners, bicycles, and electric toothbrushes are a few items you may have around with intermediate complexity., What action does this machine or mechanism perform? Work backwards to see how it performs that function., Open up the device and look inside to see how it works.
   
   The next time you see a small appliance headed for the trash, open it up and see what makes it tick., Pulleys.
   
   Start with the classical simple machines: lever, wheel and axle, pulley, inclined plane, wedge, and screw.
   
   Simple machines exchange distance for force, or vice versa.
   
   Move on to understand parts of modern machines, too, such as gears, electric motors, and the internal combustion engine.
   
   Learn about electricity, too.
   
   Most machines these days are electromechanical. , Rather than try to understand the entire engine in a car, start by understanding just one part, such as the clutch or the brakes.
   
   Then, learn how the systems work together., Follow this path from either direction.
   
   Start with the energy source (fuel, electrical plug) and follow it through the motor and gears, or start with the action (such as the wheels or mixer blades) and trace it backwards through the machine., Make a kinetic sculpture.
   
   Build a roller coaster for a marble.
   
   Model a crank and slider mechanism in wood or cardboard.
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   Step 3: Look at the function.

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   Step 4: Perform a "dissection".

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   Step 5: Understand basic machine elements.

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   Step 6: Look at systems and subsystems within a machine.

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   Step 7: Follow the path of the energy.

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   Step 8: Build your own machines and models.

Detailed Guide

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