Complex/Compound Machines

A COMPLEX/COMPOUND MACHINE is made from 2 or more *simple machines.

(*Simple Machines: wheel, lever, pulley, inclined plane, screw, wedge) 
(*See previous 15 posts on simple machines.)

Examples: 

A scissors is made up of 2 levers and 2 wedges.

A drill is made up of a wheel, a screw, and a wedge.

    

                                                                             

Activities

• Have the students visit Edheads, a wonderful interactive website.

          Click Here: Edheads Compound Machines

• Have students brainstorm and list other compound machines in their science notebooks plus make a class chart of complex machines.

• Read books about compound machines.

 

• Have students walk around the home/school/neighborhood to identify and observe compound machines. Have them bring a notebook or camera.

• Have students look in magazines, catalogs, or online for pictures of complex machines.  Then create a poster or slide show of complex/compound machines.

Sears Catalog

Home Depot Catalog

• Have students sketch and label complex machines and then label the simple machines that make up each complex machine. 

• Take a field trip to a hardware store, tool department of a department store, or home improvement warehouse to observe complex machines. Take a notebook or camera then make an album or slide show to share with others. 

• Have students invent their own compound machine. (This could be an imaginary machine with a sketch/illustration or a real working compound machine.)

Have fun learning about complex machines!
_____________________________________________