Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Science Education Center
Various middle school science resources from the Smithsonian Institution.
Rube Goldberg
Rube Goldberg Inc.: Rube Goldberg Gallery
All the important information on Rube Goldberg, including cartoons of Rube Goldberg machines complete with descriptions of how each machine works.
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Work, Power and Energy
This activity assesses students' knowledge and understanding of work, power, and energy.
![Ohio State Univ.: Simple Machines & Mechanical Advantage [Pdf] Handout](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Ohio State Univ.: Simple Machines & Mechanical Advantage [Pdf] Handout")
Ohio State University
Ohio State Univ.: Simple Machines & Mechanical Advantage [Pdf]
This site details how simple machines create a mechanical advantage for humans. Levers, theoretical mechanical advantage, actual mechanical advantage, and pulley systems are discussed.
Other
Perpetual Motion Page: Machines
This personal site provides a good selection of proposed perpetual motion machines complete with drawings and detailed explanations of the machines.
Museum of Science
Museum of Science: Leonardo's Visions of the Future
This site from The Museum of Science includes modern machines that Leonardo da Vinci first designed. Original sketches of Leonardo's machines also included.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Work and Power: Waterwheel
Investigating a waterwheel illustrates to students the physical properties of energy. They learn that the concept of work, force acting over a distance, differs from power, which is defined as force acting over a distance over some...
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth Univ.: Work Definitions
This site from the Virginia Commonwealth University gives good information on the definition of work using nice graphics and interactive questions. Immediate feedback on student answers is provided.
Museum of Science
Science Learning Network: Inventor's Workshop
A short piece on Leonardo da Vinci from the Science Learning Network. Placed here because a) there's a decent drawing of an Archimedes' screw, and b) there's a link to an adequate definition thereof.
Other
Tal Cohen's Bookshelf: The Emperor's New Mind
This site from the Tal Cohen's Bookshelf provides a detailed review of the book, The Emperor's New Mind. An interesting look at the machines of our world and how they may take on more human tasks.
Other
Eric's History of Perpetual Motion and Free Energy
This personal site, "Eric's History of Perpetual Motion and Free Energy Machines," provides a timeline of the machines and their makers.
The Franklin Institute
Spotlighting Simple Machines
Simple machines such as inclined planes in wedges and screws are explained.
My Science Site
Finding Examples of Machines [Pdf]
Ready, set, go! Send your students racing to find examples of machines with this reproducible. A great way to enhance student learning on an unit on work and machines. This resource is in PDF form; requires Adobe Reader.