Can you make an elevator out of a spool of thread, some string and a hanger? Your friends might think it is magic, but it’s science at work! Here’s an easy experiement that has its ups and downs! 1.

After learning about the lever, wheel and axle, pulley, inclined plane, wedge and screw, the students designed a future Hilltop playground, one that included examples of each simple machine studied.

When you push or pull with a simple machine, you are applying a force and doing work. And, if you get more force out of a machine than you put into it, then that machine has a mechanical advantage.