Machines come in two kinds — Simple Machines and Complex Machines1.

A simple
machine is a tool, device, or object with few moving parts that help us do work1.
There are six types of simple machines — the inclined plane, the wedge, the screw,
the lever, the wheel and axle, and the pulley1. These six have specific features
and do unique jobs, even though some may work in similar ways1.

Simple machines, unlike complex ones, do not work on their own. They only increase
the pull or push (force or effort) that a person uses, increase or decrease the
distance, or change the direction of a movement so that more work is done1.

Complex machines, like trucks or wagons, or bicycles, use many moving parts. They
combine many simple machines such as levers, pulleys, and gears to get work done. A
lever is a bar or board that rests on a support called a fulcrum. A downward force
exerted on one end of the lever can be transferred and increased in an upward
direction at the other end, allowing a small force to lift a heavy weight. All
early people used the lever in some form, for example, for moving heavy stones or
as digging sticks for land cultivation. The principle of the lever was used in the
swape, or shadoof, a long lever pivoted near one end with a platform or water
container hanging from the short arm and counterweights attached to the long arm. A
man could lift several times his own weight by pulling down on the long arm. This
device is said to have been used in Egypt and India for raising water and lifting
soldiers over battlements as early as 1500 BCE.

All early people used the lever in some form, for example, for moving heavy stones
or as digging sticks for land cultivation. The principle of the lever was used in
the swape, or shadoof, a long lever pivoted near one end with a platform or water
container hanging from the short arm and counterweights attached to the long arm. A
man could lift several times his own weight by pulling down on the long arm. This
device is said to have been used in Egypt and India for raising water and lifting
soldiers over battlements as early as 1500 BCE.